#i have made it Law within this household that she is not allowed to make hamburgers

[firstseasonlisazemo]

Pumpkin Carving

Summary: Catarina is suddenly missing from the palace. Her husband goes after her.

Rating: K - Intended for general audience 5 years and older. Content should be free of any coarse language, violence, and adult themes.

Words: 3100

Notes: Man, I'd lose a finger if I ever tried to carve a pumpkin... Happy Halloween!

Prince Geordo of Stuart can hardly remember the last time that he had ever been in such a state of panic. His throat is shutting close and his face is flushed from running up and down the palace, his hair is messy and his clothes are crooked.

Catarina had one job. All she had to do was stay within the walls of the palace, where he knew that she would be safe when he was out. Though, evidently that was too much for her, because he just got back and she is nowhere to be found.

Not that she being gone was even the worst part.

The worst part is that none of the idiots he assigned to her surveillance and protection knew anything about where she could have gone. The Crown Princess of this country disappears in thin air, and the guards take no notice of the absence until he himself point it out to them. By all accounts, she could have been dead out in the woods somewhere and not one of them would have noticed.

If Catarina does not appear soon, heads will start to roll. All they could tell him was that she had not been around and they had not seen her.

“So, nobody saw her? Anywhere?” He clarified, though the edge in his voice made it abundantly clear to the household service of the palace that he is not actually asking. He already knew the answer to his question.

Of course, they did not.

“I see.” He smiled placidly. “The one who can first find the Crown Princess and bring her to me can keep their job. The rest is fired, without recommendations. I suggest you be quick in your search, while I am still feeling charitable.”

A chill run through the spines of the servants. They remain still in place, confused on what they should do.

“What are you still doing here? Go!” The prince barked.

He cannot understand how the patented Catarina charm does not work with the uptight servants of his palace. Do they respond only to fear? Sometimes, he felt like the only person around here that even recognized that she existed, and perhaps that was because he basically was.

Geordo understands that she is an independent and capable person, and does not need constant surveillance, but he wants to have it. He wants to always know where she is or what she is doing, because whether she realized it or not, she is important to him. She is the only people on the face of the earth that actually mattered as far as he was concerned.

It had been a struggle to have her to himself. He had to stave off new suitors, beat the old ones and, most importantly, convince her to understand that he meant to marry her, that he would not kill or exile her, that he would not fall in love with anyone else, and that she would be assured her freedom even if she became queen. He is not about to have it threatened, and he is not going to allow her stilted suitors to even consider him not strong enough to protect her.

If there is one upside about being king, Gerodo believes it is the power to make his will the law of the land. He is forcing Catarina through as queen, and the aristocracy and the household service can shove their objections or suffer the consequences.

“You know what? Forget it. I’ll find her myself.” He decided, giving up on the rest of them without much more consideration. “When I’m back, let me not see a single clue of your presence here.”

It had been a waste of precious time to demand help from any of them in the first place, when he could have been out there this whole time.

Who knows what kind of trouble Catarina could have gotten into?

She might have been a common fixture around the main palace, but they rarely, if ever, came to this corner of the grounds. She does not know how to navigate the woods, and they still have not had the chance to clear her a field for her agricultural exploits.

That is not to mention the shadows of the trees that projected on to the edges of the little building. He had this compound cleared for its privacy, so Catarina can rest peacefully from any demands of courtly life, but it had been abandoned before. It is just dark enough and secluded enough that a kidnapping can happen in broad daylight and there will be none the wiser.

Horror goes through his mind. If his wife wandered into the wrong place, she could be killed without so much as a second thought.

The thought of that was more than enough to put a pep in the male’s step as he headed out into the woods beyond the garden, with his sword and a small pack of emergency medical supplies in hand.

No matter what she had gotten into, he would get her out of it. Assuming that he still could.

When he had left their home, Catarina was having her lunch. He did not eat with her that day, as he had a meeting with the prime minister in the afternoon. This had been not more than a couple of hours ago, and she could not have gotten that far in such a short period of time. If he started walking now, he just had to hope he would run into her.

It not as if he had much more of a choice. The last thing Geordo would ever do was leave her out there by herself. Given the unpredictability of life in the palace and the potential dangers associated with royalty, if something really comes to pass, it could take the entire Palace Guard days to find her again, if they ever did.

From where he was standing, it was hard for him to not panic even more, fearing the worst. If he did not find Catarina soon, there was no guarantee he would ever see her again.

“Catarina? Are you out there?” He called every so often, so loud that his voice echoed through the damp forest.

Geordo promises himself that, when he did manage to track his wife down, he will never let her leave his side again. This place is dangerous and she could not just wander off whenever she wanted to. Unless she wanted to get herself killed, that was.

Catarina is much too vulnerable to be left unprotected. She is naïve and believes the goodwill of anyone, and while she has been trained in sword fighting and magic, she does not have any experience with actual combat.

He is much more proficient in self-defence than her, and even if he so finds an opponent he cannot beat, if he is there, then she is not fighting alone. He was no stranger to confrontation and he did not have a problem making enemies.

The princely couple is very different in that regard, and he shuddered to think about what could happen if she ran into someone out here alone.

He has to find Catarina, and he has to find her now.

Thankfully, after going up and down the palace and combing through the grounds, he managed to find his wife sitting in a small pier on a lake, a five-minute walk from their home, before anything absolutely awful could come to pass.

Though, Catarina is not in some dire life-threatening position like he had previously feared. She was not bleeding out in the middle of a field or being held hostage by some terrorist group or ambitious noble.

She is just sitting there. Like nothing was wrong. Like she had not nearly given him an aneurysm earlier that day.

“Catarina! Where were you? I came back from the main palace and you were gone!” Geordo almost shouts, calling out to her seated frame without so much as a second thought.

The foolish woman had really freaked him out this morning and he wanted to know why. What could have been so important that she had to nearly give him a heart attack?

Pumpkins. Turns out the answer is pumpkins.

By the time Geordo made his way over to where she is sitting, he found her surrounded entirely by all manners of pumpkins and candles, a number which he had never seen before in his life. There should be around thirty specimens of the vegetable scattered around, of all shapes, sizes and colours.

These were pumpkins, yes, but they are not right. They were cut and scattered, their seeds taken off in a ritualistic semblance of impaling or immolation, some are even burned. All of them had a weird carving, all different, none with a meaning he can recognize.

“Hello, Prince Geordo!” The brunette princess greets with as much a sunny disposition as always. “Look what Anne brought! My pumpkins from back home! Gardner Tom made sure of harvesting them for me.”

“This is what you left the palace for?” He questioned, his brow knitting together out of habit.

The pumpkins really are not much to write home about, and he does not get what was so special about them, aside from the fact that Catarina grew them. They were kind of gross. The flesh was a sickly orange colour with a kind of bubbling on the surface that was almost grotesque to look at, yet his wife still held it in her lap, as if this horrid gourd was the most beautiful thing she had ever seen.

He does not get it.

“They’re ugly.” Geordo remarked, not even thinking about it.

To him, it seemed obvious that they were not good looking but Catarina seemed almost offended at his words. She would never find a perfectly edible vegetable to be ugly. In fact, to her, they were anything but.

“I think they have potential, they’re charming!” The princess decided, not leaving any room for discussion as she surveyed the object in her hold.

They do not look like the usual pumpkin, lest of all the fine ones that are used in meals for the royal family, but that does not mean that they were bad, it just meant they were different.

“I like them!” She cooed, not paying him any mind.

Geordo, in turn, made himself comfortable beside her in the quay, her attention far too preoccupied with her dissection of the pumpkin in her hold.

“If you say so.” He shrugged.

The prince is trying his best to see whatever it was she were seeing, though, it really is not going to happen for him. To him, the mass in her lap looked like a mistake of nature that should have been left on its own without a second thought but clearly, she sees something in them that he does not.

She saw something better, which should not really surprise him. For as long as he had known her, she had had this unfailing optimistic disposition about her, no matter what was going on around. It was something she always kept about herself, and he is sure that he had ever seen her down, and he would not allow it to ever happen.

That love for the mediocre is a quality that normally would have infuriated Geordo, and if she had been anyone else, he would have told her to knock it off and grow up, but he never could. Not with her.

Catarina is just too good for something like that, and if she grew and liked these monstrosities, he supposed they are not too bad.

“They’re great, just give them a chance.” The woman prompted.

She is hoping that, the more he looked at them, the more likely he would be to see what she saw when she looked at something like this. They were unique, and clearly, they had gone through a lot to be here.

In a lot of ways, they had something in common with these little fighters. The world had changed, and they had changed with it, and while they were different now, they were still just as whole as before.

“Well, I suppose they are unique, if nothing else. I’m sure you’re proud of growing them from seed to fruit.” He offered. “But why they are so damaged?”

It is then that Geordo sees the knife on her hand.

“Why are you sacrificing those pumpkins?” The prince asks, feeling truly confused.

“I’m carving them.” She responded, smiling brightly. “I tried to offer the head cook to do something with them, but he said that they were not to the standards to be fed to you. So, I tried to give them another purpose.”

Now he is glad that he fired the entire household service. If Catarina wants to eat those pumpkins, she has the right to, and if she wants him to eat them, he will eat it down to the seeds.

The princess offers him her artwork. “Look! Isn’t it cute! It’s a little cat! Meow~”

It is most definitively not a cat, but her excitement made it very endearing to Geordo.

The blond chuckled. “Indeed, but you know what would make them even better?”

He hummed, taking another pumpkin from the quay around where they were sitting with a smile.

Knowing him, his creative spirit could produce just about anything, but, without hesitation, she nodded. Catarina and Geordo might not have always seen eye to eye about some things, but she did really value his input and his ideas, even if they were sometimes a bit moody for her taste.

The prince did his best not to spoil it, already proud of himself for the little image he had come up with and took out his concealed dagger, turning away from her entirely.

“What are you doing?” She asked.

The princess is doing her best to peek around his shoulder to see what he was doing but he was already a step or two ahead of her. He is not going to let her ruin the surprise. Especially not when it was such a good one.

“Just give me a second!” Geordo insisted.

A small grin bloomed on his face as he thought about how she would react to this, giving the actual work in his hands the backseat. Thankfully, it is not a task that required a lot of precision.

Catarina had no idea what he could have been doing but that did not make she any less surprised when he turned around to reveal a face, carved into the front of the pumpkin he had taken from the ground previously. It was great, and while the jagged teeth and crooked smile are not exactly the route she would have chosen, she got the idea.

“Now it’s scary.” He teased, handing her the small decorated fruit without hesitation.

The blistered surface of the pumpkin only added to the weird grotesqueness of the imagery but she could not have been more thrilled. This really was better.

“I don’t think so, it just has more character now!” The princess grinned, not willing to concede on this.

There was just something about these things that appealed to her and she is not about to change her mind about that, no matter what her husband deemed to carve into it.

“I told you, they’re charming. All it takes is someone willing to do something with that potential.” She hummed, finding herself finally turning away from the pumpkins that surrounded them both in favour of looking at him.

Geordo really was like these things, more so every time she thought about it. He is not ugly by any means, much to the contrary, but there was still so much to him that most people never get to see. So much that she could miss if she does not dig a little deeper beneath the surface.

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” He conceded again, this time feeling a little more convinced of her argument.

She is usually right about those things, of course, but he does not always like to admit that to himself. It made him feel all gooey inside, like there were a million worms in his gut, and there is a time and a place for that. If he does not have a hold on himself, he cannot protect her, and then he is useless as a husband and a monarch.

“Would you like me to teach you?” Geordo offered.

Catarina beamed at her husband, as if he had offered her to teach the secrets of manipulating the universe.

“Will you help me, please? I don’t want it to be ugly.” She said.

Looing at her cat, she is afraid that her own carving does not come out nearly as cute as his. She does not want to mess it up and she had a feeling that she already had disfigured a wheel cart’s worth of pumpkins beyond repair. She does not have as much artistic talent, and hand coordination, to produce such intricate carvings.

“I thought they were all charming and full of potential.” He teased, taking the pumpkin from her when she offered it up, before bumping her gingerly with his shoulder.

He got her there.

“They are, but I don’t want to squander it.” Catarina argued back.

She picked back up her carving knife, taking hold of it while Geordo prepares his dagger once again to clear the legume. Her blade shakes ever so slightly as she thought about what she is going to do.

The spooky face he’d chosen looked pretty good, but that is not really her style. She wants it to be nice to look at, just like they were the first time she had seen them growing out as buds in her field.

“That’s not possible, Catarina. You can’t squander their potential.” The prince countered.

He wraps his right hand around her own, helping her take control of the blade, though she could feel his eyes on her instead of the task at hand.

“What do you mean?” She hummed, trying to figure out where he was going with this.

The prince kisses his wife’s cheek gingerly and smiles, his thoughts far, far away.

“Even if it’s not perfect, it doesn’t mean that you’ve squandered its potential. In fact, it’s their imperfections that make them charming. You’re the one who taught me that.” He shrugged, bringing a soft smile to her face as she considered his words.

He was right, maybe it does not have to be perfect after all.

*_*_*_*_*

My Next Life as a Villainess Masterlist

#my next life as a villainess #geordo stuart

[frymalloy2]

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The international partner and their unmarried youngsters beneath 18 years old of the above candidates can apply for everlasting residence together. Important application documents for this purpose held by the employee embrace a letter of launch and a work allow cancellation certificate. Also, candidates need proof of related work experience from earlier employers and a bachelor’s degree or above. The former employer ought to apply to cancel the work allow inside 10 working days from when employment ceases. The cancellation certificate will embrace the reason for the cancellation of the work allow. Though the nation shut up tight after the world’s first COVID-19 lockdown in Wuhan in January 2020, China is making fast progress in direction of its 85% vaccination target and worldwide tourism is anticipated to renew by 2022. Effective from 1st Jan 2019, passengers can use the E-application System for 144-hour Visa-free Transit to apply for visa-free transit through Xiamen in advance. Getting a South African eVisa from China is a fairly easy course of. 2.1 To receive shoppers and classify their visa application paperwork in accordance with the requirements of the Embassies and Consulates. 1.5 “Chinese Visa Application Service Centre” refers again to the institution that gives dealing with providers regarding applications for Chinese visas based on the working procedures set by the Embassies and Consulates, hereinafter known as the “Application Centre”. Chinese residents residing in a overseas country who request to return to China for employment shall apply to China's labour and personnel department or to host and employment employer items. 4) Please fill within the training background from highschool onwards, household data, detailed information about your supposed journey to China and previous international journey as required. The acceptance discover will serve as evidence that a person is legally in China. However, the State Council didn't incorporate into the final regulations proposals to those receipts valid for functions such as domestic journey on trains and airplanes as well as for temporary residence registration at motels and bank transactions. A Beijing PSB officer lately advised China Daily, the purposes for which the acceptance receipt can be utilized are presently beneath review by multiple government companies, together with transportation agencies. On Oct. 17, 2013, Beijing PSB mentioned orally that if an applicant desires to make use of the acceptance notice for travel, he or she should specifically request that the notice embody a scanned picture. The statute and laws are silent as to the results of submitting late. Chinese Visa, China Visa Application However, travelers with new passports, visas, or those re-applying for EVUS might need to complete a new enrollment. Starting on November 29, 2016, U.S. immigration regulations will require that each one People’s Republic of China passport holders carrying 10-year B1/B2, B1, or B2 visas must have a valid EVUS enrollment earlier than touring to the United States. Once the system is ready to settle for enrollments, it is possible for you to to enroll at any time previous to your departure. The Governments of the United States and China entered into an association on a reciprocal foundation, to problem visitor visas with 10-year validity. The arrangement recognized that travelers can be required to periodically complete a web-based type updating their biographical data. Completing this type will help facilitate the admission of Chinese travelers into the United States. The government has not made completely clear what is defined as a model new occupation. However, it can be somewhat deduced by the magnitude of the job change. If an worker is currently a instructor and is turning into a consultant, it is obvious that the brand new job is completely totally different. If there's still uncertainty, the local Entry/Exit Bureau or Labor Bureau should be contacted, as it is the local authority that may ultimately make the decision of whether a new Visa is needed or not. A change in each occupation and employer requires the employee to leave China and re-enter with a new R or Z Visa. In order to use for everlasting residency, you have to meet a minimum of one of many residency necessities. Make certain you get hold of a visa notification letter as well as an employment permit so you'll be able to work legally within the country. Permitted stays on different South African visas for Chinese nationals depend upon the precise visa. This signifies that you should individually enroll in EVUS for each 10-year visa in every of your People’s Republic of China passports. If your computer meets the minimum configuration necessities and you are nonetheless having technical issues, then this could presumably be an internet browser or fire wall problem. And, there are also single-entry Tourist Group Visa with validity of not extra than 30 days out there. Multiple-entry as much as 10 years is issued to US and Canada passport holder. Non Business The F visa is issued for functions who are visiting a school/university, attending a conference/seminar/lecture or a tradeshow. A work permit or alienThe visa is issued as a single entry 3 month visa for a max length of keep for 30 days. After having paid the appliance charge online and having submitted the applying, travelers will receive the permitted Russian online visa through email. It may take between 2-4 enterprise days for the applying to be processed. China Journey Advisory Beyond the government requirements, we may also personally audit boutique motels that you’ll be visiting to ensure our standards are met and that we, and also you, know exactly what to expect. Even with a green health code, all of our staff will wear a face mask for the duration of your journey – even if they are not in an area or province that requires it. They will carry hand sanitizer that's a minimum of 65% alcohol proof and often wash their hands utilizing soap and water. Our staff practices social distancing exterior of working hours and each staff member has received further coaching on figuring out risk factors and signs linked to COVID-19. Your guide will modify your itinerary to keep away from anywhere that is crowded and if you really feel unwell, they'll shortly escort you to the nearest hospital. To help you see a new side of China, we’ve put together a listing of restrictions and laws by province. This website is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. For a graduate pupil traveling abroad alone, based on a faculty or workers member’s advice or encouragement, no further documentation is required, even if the scholar has IU funding to help their journey. If the travel is being supported through a money award in SIS or by a 3rd celebration, the shape ought to be e-mailed on to OVPIA at previous to journey, in addition to filed within the student’s home department information. If the grad pupil travel is being booked via Chrome River, the signed type must be uploaded with the Chrome River pre-approval doc for the journey to be licensed. CDC is aggressively responding to this critical well being scenario and will continue to replace the public as they study more about this novel coronavirus. A number of U.S. and international airways have suspended flights to and from China. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has either barred or severely restricted entry to the U.S. for vacationers from China. To get round it, you should use a web proxy or VPN such as WiTopia, Hotspot Shield or UltraSurf, all of which price a couple of pounds a month and provide a free limited interval trial. This is towards the law, but the government pays no consideration to foreigners who do that – nearly each foreign business in China runs a VPN. For Chinese nationals, it’s a different matter, and you will never discover a public laptop, similar to in a resort or enterprise centre, operating one. I, like many other Canadians, am dissatisfied by Portugal's determination to remove Canada from the listing of countries granted entry to Portugual for non-essential travel. My partner was supposed to be flying from Toronto to Lisbon on Friday, February 18th to satisfy me as I really have been dwelling in Europe. Our flights, lodging etc..are totally booked and we are each totally vaccinated . Why Portugal would not need Canadians supporting their economic system is past me. Opening Notice Of Chinese Language Visa Application Service Middle The e-visa software and Turkey assume you obey these rules but don't ask for any such paperwork during the e-visa utility. The Turkey e-visa, or electronic visa, is the digital version of the same old journey visa that authorizes the applicant's entry into Turkey. If you couldn't print the accredited e-Visa, the officers on the port of entry accept downloaded e Visa confirmation by way of your telephone, laptop computer, or tablet. The Turkish Government launched the net e Visa service (e-Visa application) system in 2013 to exchange the traditional sticker and stamp visa. No appointments are required should you submit your functions through submit or courier service. Travelers can enter Malaysia via any port of entry by presenting a printed A4 copy of their permitted eVisa together with their passport, proof of enough funds, return flight ticket, and proof of lodging. It is crucial to make use of the same passport for both the net kind and to journey to Malaysia. Finally, you'll need to fill out your credit score or debit card particulars to cover the fees and click on the submit button to complete your software for a Saudi Arabia eVisa from China. Carefully revise all the knowledge you've accomplished on the form to make sure there aren't any mistakes or typing errors, since any discrepancies could end in a delay in the processing of your utility. Once entered into China, one cannot change the sort of visa. Instead, you have to exit the country and apply for a model new visa. We’re a Global EOR resolution having local entities in over 100+ nations. Germany Visa Varieties, Necessities, Application & Guidelines three.2Clients could make inquiries to the Application Centre through its website or through the phone. No matter what the circumstances are, it can't be interpreted that the Application Centre has made any promise or assurance, nor does it bear any other legal responsibility for the answers to clients’ queries. 3.1Clients acknowledge and hereby affirm that the Application Centre isn't involved within the visa evaluation and decision-making process. The Embassies and Consulates have the authority to determine whether or not a visa will be issued or not, the type of a visa to be issued in addition to its validity, length of keep and variety of entries in accordance with China's relevant laws and laws. Under this regulation, a Notarial Adoption Certificate was required in all adoption cases, and the inability to acquire a Notarial Adoption Certificate was prima facie proof that no legal adoption ever occurred. Therefore, adoptions going down after January 1981 and earlier than April 1, 1999 are thought-about valid only with the issuance of a Notarial Adoption Certificate. Additionally, for adoption instances initiated throughout this period, the date of issuance of the Notarial Adoption Certification serves because the efficient date of adoption. Working in China is not permissible on a student or vacationer visa, and may end in detention, criminal expenses and deportation. For the Hong Kong SAR, evaluate your Hong Kong flight status with your airline or at the Hong Kong International Airport web site. On April eleven, 2022, the Department ordered the departure of non-emergency U.S. authorities staff and all members of the family from the Consulate General Shanghai consular district due to a surge in COVID-19 cases and the impression of restrictions associated to the PRC’s response. Links to external web sites are offered as a comfort and shouldn't be construed as an endorsement by the united states China Visa Necessities For Us Citizens Passport holders of Western countries (such as the us, Australia, Canada, and the EU States) can travel to most locations without a visa. A transit visa lets you pass by way of a selected country whereas touring to a 3rd destination country. For instance, when you have an Indian passport and you would possibly be travelling to Canada, however throughout your trip you've a layover in a Schengen nation, you'll need a Schengen transit visa. In some instances, visas are additionally issued as separate paperwork and usually are not hooked up to your passport – similar to electronic visas, which you must print out. In international locations corresponding to Denmark, Canada, and the United Kingdom, one can apply for a visa by way of the Chinese Visa Application Service Center or CVASC. If you're advised that you just don't have the right to see an immigration decide, you need to converse with a lawyer instantly. There are some circumstances during which an individual won't have a proper to see an immigration choose. But even in case you are informed that is your situation, you want to ask to speak to a lawyer immediately because Immigration officers is not going to all the time know or tell you about exceptions would possibly apply to you. If you are not a U.S. citizen and an immigration agent requests your papers, you should present them when you have them with you. All of these countries have concluded mutual visa-free agreements with China, apart from Brunei, Japan and Singapore, to which China presents unilateral waivers. For those that intend to stay within the Republic of China for greater than six months for the purpose of joining family, pursuing studies, accepting employment, making investments, doing missionary work, or engaging in different permissible actions should apply forResident Visa. If you plan tostudy in Australia, you'll need to use for aStudent Visa. If you're the mother or father, guardian or relative of a student, you can apply for aStudent Guardian Visa. If you want to travel to Australia for a visit and short-term study, you may be eligible for a visitor visa. My initial thought is not any, you shouldn’t must cancel the primary student entry visa, however I would check with the second establishment where you need to study. My college is requesting I come via on a vacationer visa then once I get there I will convert it right into a z visa. The solely factor that issues is what it says on the visa that's glued to your passport. Then that’s all you go, it does not matter what the websites say. The strategy of applying for and acquiring a Chinese Visa may be challenging and time consuming however understanding the mandatory info can ease stress and help the process alongside. China Covid Protocols China introduced on Nov. four that it might quickly droop the entry of foreigners from Britain, even when they'd visas or valid residence permits. It described the transfer as a “temporary response” as cases of Covid-19 surged in Britain. In late September, the federal government announced that folks with expired residence permits may return to China after applying for a visa. For the previous year, folks trying to go to China have run into a number of the world’s most formidable obstacles to entry. To stop the coronavirus, China bans tourists and short-term enterprise vacationers outright, and it sets robust standards for all different foreigners, even those who have lived there for years. Serbia, which is not an EU member, was the first European country to receive the Sinopharm vaccine. Due to the fact that many foreigners left China at the start of the coronavirus outbreak, there is currently a excessive demand for international academics at colleges and training centers all through the nation. In-person instruction for most of the classes for Chinese college students at our companion university, Guangxi Normal University , has resumed. However, GXNU is still solely holding courses on-line for worldwide college students. Once all in-person lessons at the college have resumed, we look ahead to restarting our joint research abroad program as quickly as potential. To assist prevent future outbreaks, all vacationers arriving in China are required to quarantine for 14 days. Please fill in the connected Letter of Commitment on COVID-19 Vaccination, sign it by hand and addContent it together with the take a look at stories and the vaccination certificates to the “Health Code” applet or the net page. Starting on Monday, Chinese embassies in multiple countries, together with Japan, Israel, Thailand, Pakistan and the Philippines, streamlined visa software procedures in such instances. Other nations included within the plan embrace the United States, Germany, Australia and Greece. Upon coming into China, passengers are required to spend 14 days in quarantine at their very own expense, which will be monitored by Chinese well being authorities and can take place at a delegated location. Taiwan Work Visa And Permit Attorney companies are offered by independent attorneys and are subject to a separateAttorney Agreement. Although the K-3 visa is on the market to spouses of U.S. residents dwelling overseas, it is usually not the best choice and should usually be avoided. Because of the prolonged processing times, applying for a K-3 visa usually ends up being an unnecessary step with the additional expense (including the additional $265 filing fee). You should report back to the workplace in your establishment which is responsible for aiding international students inside 30 days of your course begin date, as this seems on your SEVIS I-20/DS-2019 kind. Once the visa software kind is completed, you’ll must electronically sign your DS-160 by clicking the “Sign Application” button at the finish. After your software is uploaded, you’ll be sent a affirmation page with a barcode, barcode number and your application ID number which you’ll must print out and take to your visa interview appointment. 台胞證 have their very own devoted website for every little thing to do with making a US pupil visa application, which may be accessed fromthis primary page. Tang's attorneys had argued that the doctor was not a member of the Chinese military however had worked as a civilian at a Chinese army facility. They said the charge of mendacity on her visa application likely would have resulted in a six-month sentence, lower than the 10 months she has already spent in jail and underneath home arrest. F-1 visa holders could remain within the US for an extra 60 days following the completion of their course, whereas M-1 and J-1 visa holders can solely remain an additional 30 days following the completion of their course. The photo must be taken just lately, showing full front view of your head, colored, and without hat on. Please click here for more particular requirements of picture. Please refer to the appendix down below for extra particulars about the on-line type. 1) Please don't make an appointment if purposes of your meant go to just isn't for emergency, humanitarian or resumption of work or production. Other supporting documents which assist your emergent or humanitarian reasons. For High School and high School vocational students emplaced by the Ministry of Education, Republic of China.

#台胞證

[yarnbun3]

Work Visa In China

The most time period that an individual may be admitted to Aruba as a vacationer is 30 days. The total quantity of days a person can keep in Aruba, as a tourist who applies for an extension of stay, can't exceed 180 days per 12 months. Those US Nationals who participate within the "One Happy Workation" program might keep in Aruba for up to 90 days maximum, no further governmental documentation needed. Now I need to accompany my good friend who is about to check in a college in one other province. Will I be ready to enter China with the above mentioned residence allow to accompany the pal.? Having stayed the prior yr in China for just a brief interval with a residence allow isn’t a floor for denying an extension of that permit. The statute requires a medical exam from anybody making use of to the PSB for an preliminary residence allow valid for one 12 months or more. In contrast, no medical examination is required when extending a residence permit, changing from one sort of residence permit to another, or replacing a residence allow. In addition, many visa-holders subject to the EVUS requirement have an annotation printed on their visa. Even if you do not have an annotation printed in your visa, when you have a 10-year B1, B2, or B1/B2 visa in a People’s Republic of China passport you have to enroll in EVUS in order to travel to the United States starting on November 29, 2016. A visa-required vacationer wants a declaration of guarantee/invitation to apply for a visa if he/she has been invited to take part in a sports occasion by a corporation on Aruba or if he’ll/she’ll be staying at the residence of a relative or an acquaintance. The individual or group in Aruba who will act as guarantor for the tourist’s stay has to declare that they’ll guarantee all prices than can arise from the brief stay of the vacationer in Aruba. The guarantor is liable for sending the declaration of guarantee/invitation to the visa-required vacationer. Please observe that having the declaration does not imply that the visa might be issued. When submitting, I was informed I wanted a day by day written itinerary for 90days. I stated this was not something I was in a position to submit and signed a declaration confirming that I understood I had been suggested to submit further paperwork however could be submitting with out. Is it potential to work legally in PRC being foreigner with a foreign labor contract and international supply of remuneration ? Consideration Required! Those who've been issued an M visa can apply for a multiple-entry M visa, which is valid for as much as a 12 months. For spouses, mother and father or different relations that need to visit their relative, who lives in China solely for work or educational purposes, you will want to apply for an S visa. Typically, the educational institute or employer will help organise S visas for their household simultaneously their visa application is made. If you've been hired as an worker to work in China and spend more than 6 months within the nation, you'll need a Z visa. The visa will have to be transformed into a residence permit inside 30 days upon entry into China. You will most likely have to have another interview with the PSB but won’t need to go for another health examine, and will solely must submit your new contract and invitation letter. As with all long term stays that aren't business-related, you'll need to convert your X1 visa into a residence permit within 30 days of arriving in China. Your faculty or college will be capable of help you with this as quickly as you might be within the country. Applying for a China vacationer visa is simple – merely full and collect all the mandatory paperwork listed under, and send them to the Chinese embassy in your country with the appliance fee. The Chinese visa policy outlines the laws and necessities that overseas citizens from everywhere in the world want to satisfy to travel to the People’s Republic of China. Please fill in an Arrival Card for immigration inspection each time before reentry within the validity of this certificate. If any mistake is made through the online software course of, the applicant may submit a new application. China Journey Advisory The cheapest cellphones to purchase will price around ¥200; make sure the workers change the operating language into English for you. Card phones, extensively available in main cities, are the cheapest approach to make home long-distance calls (¥0.2 for 3min), and can additionally be used for international calls (under ¥10 for 3min). They take IC Cards (IC卡, IC kă), which come in units of ¥20, ¥50 and ¥100. WHO advises in opposition to the application of any travel or commerce restrictions on China based mostly on the information currently out there on this event. The TAR requires special permits for vacationer journey, most often obtained via a Chinese journey agent. If you do enter a restricted area without the requisite allow, you could be fined, taken into custody, and deported for illegal entry. CDC is aggressively responding to this severe well being situation and will proceed to update the common public as they learn extra about this novel coronavirus. A variety of U.S. and international airways have suspended flights to and from China. The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services has either barred or severely restricted entry to the united states for travelers from China. To get around it, you have to use a web proxy or VPN such as WiTopia, Hotspot Shield or UltraSurf, all of which price a few pounds a month and supply a free limited period trial. This is unlawful, but the government pays no attention to foreigners who do that – nearly every foreign enterprise in China runs a VPN. For Chinese nationals, it’s a special matter, and you'll never discover a public pc, corresponding to in a hotel or enterprise centre, operating one. Indonesia New Electronic Visa Your checking account stability assertion issued within the final 3 months along with your name proven. For a minor applicant, no much less than one of the mother and father' stability assertion should be supplied. The fund steadiness ought to be sufficient for you to keep in Taiwan for the period that stated in your application type and travel itinerary. Holders of work permits as properly as visas marked "void", "cancelled" or "cancelled without prejudice" aren't eligible. In addition, vacationers using the scheme must also hold a return or onward plane or ship ticket and shall be required to present it to the immigration officer. Travelers who wish to visit Myanmar will need a passport valid for a minimum of 6 months. Besides a passport, candidates will need an e-mail tackle the place the eVisa for Myanmar is sent once approved. After filling out the applying kind, it's necessary to pay the net visa fee with a debit or credit card. NWOHRs are topic to immigration control whereas in Taiwan, and may only remain in Taiwan for a restricted time licensed by the entry allow or the immigration officer. Those without any of the above-listed paperwork will be denied entry to Taiwan. Alternatively, they could enter Taiwan with their non-ROC passports without prior authorization if additionally having nationalities of a visa exempt country. Turkey Visa For Chinese Residents An approved Taiwan eVisa for tourism is usually processed rapidly and despatched to the applicant via e mail, eliminating the necessity to visit a Taiwanese visa in individual to submit an embassy software. Below you can see a whole list of visa rules to travel to Taiwan from your nation of residence. All different nationalities must apply for a visa at a Taiwanese diplomatic government office. On this page, yow will discover about the visa coverage and requirements that your nationality wants to satisfy to travel to the island of Taiwan, officially often identified as the Republic of China . South African eVisa applications are processed within a few business days. Before submitting your submitting payment, please contact the nearest USCIS worldwide field workplace or Consular Section at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate or go to its web site to verify that they will process the Form I-131A, and thoroughly learn the shape directions. You should file Form I-131A in person at a USCIS international subject office or with a Consular Section at a U.S. Before appearing in particular person, you must submit the filing fee by way of the web fee system on our website . When you appear in individual to file Form I-131A, you should deliver proof that you simply paid the fee, corresponding to a duplicate of the fee confirmation page or a duplicate of the e-mail cost receipt notice. In some cases, you might journey to your personal home nation solely in case you have express permission and very compelling reasons similar to illness or demise in the family. If you return to your nation without permission, you are susceptible to shedding your refugee standing. However, in the end, each nation can resolve whether or not to simply accept or reject an individual of their nation, this consists of you even if you have a valid refugee document. If you are still having technical issues, please click on on EVUS Call Center link at the bottom of the web page and submit a help request. If they're planning to remain within the country for a short stay, they could apply for the South African digital visa. The Consulate of China is currently issuing new enterprise & work visas solely primarily based on the special "PU" invitation. Please have your sponsor in China apply for the invitation and e-mail a copy of it to We will provide additional particulars and particular requirements primarily based on your function of journey. South Africa Tourist Visa If all goes properly, you—or a licensed person—will should return to the consulate to choose up your passport with the newly attached visa inside. There are another19 different international locations that aren't part of the Schengen Zone, yet they allow overseas citizens of other non-Schengen international locations to enter and keep in their territories, solely by showing a legitimate multiple-entry Schengen Visa. You do not want a nationwide visa issued from these international locations to enter, transit or keep in their territory temporarily. Reconsider journey to the People’s Republic of China due to arbitrary enforcement of native laws and COVID-19-related restrictions. Do not travel to 台胞證 ’s Hong Kong Special Administrative Region , Jilin province, and Shanghai municipality due to COVID-19-related restrictions, together with the chance of parents and kids being separated. Reconsider travel to the PRC’s Hong Kong SAR because of arbitrary enforcement of native laws. U.S. passport holders visiting Australia on a cruise can apply on-line for an digital visa for a payment of $20 Australian dollars, to be paid by bank card. I am filling out an software form it is asking me to supply all destination/cities i will be going to whilst visiting china. I am going with a journey company so will i need to fill them all out as there is multiple cities i will be visiting. Pilgrimage visas are issued to people who wish to complete a spiritual journey in another country. An example of a pilgrimage visa is the Hajj visa issued by Saudi Arabia to Muslims who need to complete the sacred journey of Hajj in Mecca. These forms of visas are often issued for a bunch of individuals rather than a person and are valid just for the time it takes to complete the pilgrimage. China Eases Visa Guidelines For Recipients Of Its Vaccines Effective March 15, 2021, the Chinese Embassy in the United States will start to facilitate visa functions for these that have been inoculated with the COVID-19 vaccinations and obtained the vaccination certificates. More Chinese visa-issuing authorities have offered facilitation to visa candidates who've been inoculated with Chinese COVID-19 vaccines. The Invitation Letter (PU&TE) or Invitation Verification Notice issued by the overseas affairs places of work or the departments of commerce of the provincial governments or the headquarters of state-owned enterprises are no longer required. A. Applicants traveling to China for needed work and manufacturing resumption actions (work, enterprise, visit, and so on. ), may put together paperwork and submit functions in accordance with the requirements before the COVID-19 pandemic. Kathmandu, March 16 In a bid to pressurise the Nepal government to roll out its Covid vaccine, the Chinese Embassy in Kathmandu has introduced it's going to provide visas to solely those that have been fully vaccinated with China-made Covid-19 vaccines. Passengers with unfavorable Nucleic Acid take a look at end result and positive IgM antibody take a look at result after vaccinated with an inactivated vaccine can apply for a well being code as traditional. Previously, these applicants had to be beneath 60 years old, have a minimal of two years’ work experience and a bachelor’s degree. The changes are consistent with Chinese Government’s goal to draw more highly-skilled international nationals, especially in scientific and innovative fields. After exporting COVID-19 vaccines to almost 70 international locations, China is gearing as much as push for its own vaccine passport to ease entry to foreigners and foreign residents of China inoculated with China-made vaccines. That mentioned, local insurance policies can change quickly so vacationers are strongly suggested to examine for updates on your destination earlier than departure. Some Chinese provinces may require vacationers arriving from other elements of China which may be at present experiencing outbreaks to quarantine upon arrival. Students from South Korea are now able to enter China because of an agreement between the Chinese and South Korean governments. However, most schools in Guilin, including CLI, are not able to accept South Korean college students who usually are not already physically in China right now. Documents required again to regular (before the COVID-19 pandemic when making use of for a visa), no want PU or TE letter anymore. IV) Non-Chinese nationals within the U.K.holding valid Chinese residence permits for work, private issues and reunion will not be affected for entry into China. China If you do not possess a flight ticket to show that you will be exiting Thailand within 15 days of entry you may be most likely refused entry. The Embassy does not concern go to, work, vacationer, or transit visas for ordinary/tourist passport. An authentic passport (should not expire within six months from the expected time of arrival to UAE). Visa processing time is approximately 3 to 4 working days. Any update a traveler makes to his/her EVUS enrollment, including to right an error, is a new enrollment. A friend, relative, travel business skilled, or another third celebration might submit the required info to EVUS in your behalf. The State Department’s visa submitting charge is currently $265, usually paid at the interview. It’s necessary to review particular directions concerning time and place of cost, included in the embassy’s correspondence, which can vary relying the applicant’s home country. The U.S. citizen partner will must have already filed a household sponsorship type (Form I-130) that's at present pending with USCIS. This Form I-130 should not have been permitted yet, and there should be a receipt discover from USCIS in the meantime. Unlike those certified for the no-fee Entry Permit or Entry and Exit Permit on arrival, the applicants are required to pay a processing charge of NT$600. In addition, white-collar professionals who've obtained a work permit inside their permitted length of keep may apply for a piece visa along with their partner and minors who entered the ROC on the similar time. Philippine travelers may even be required to fill out an arrival card, and supply immigration officials at the port of entry with proof of lodge reservations or an tackle and contact particulars for the place they are going to be staying in Taiwan. Philippine vacationers will no longer be eligible for different visa-relaxation measures formally accorded as quickly as the visa-free trial is launched on November 1. China visa fees vary enormously in accordance with your nationality, the variety of entries required, the country you're applying in, and whether or not you need an categorical service. Generally the fee is $140 for an American citizen, and for citizens of other countries, the charge ranges from $30 to $90.

#台胞證

[saintobio]

sincerely not. (14)

↳ gojou satoru/reader

with an arranged marriage set in place, the sacred bond is doomed with a wife who wants to make the relationship work and a husband who’s ready to ruin it all. unbeknown to him, a tragic fate already lies within the pages of his romance book.

genre. heavy angst, unrequited love, arranged marriage, modern au, 18+

tags/warnings. mentions of death, mentions of violence and physical abuse

notes. 10.4k wc. i’d like to take this opportunity to announce that i will be going on a week-long hiatus to refresh bc i’m currently experiencing burnout. the next chapter will come to you guys on the 20th of august. for now, please enjoy this chapter. i might do character interviews soon. tysm for the beta @suhkusa <3

series masterlist -> episode fifteen

For the next twenty-four hours, you never got any proper sleep.

The entire Gojou family was heavily in bereft following the demise of their loved one whose unexpected death caused complications in their household. Satoru himself could not sleep even though you ended up going back to the penthouse to keep him company in his loneliest time. Nana’s death had his mind running on an endless treadmill, exhausting him for the whole night until he was mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. Just last night, you heard him silently crying as he forced himself to sleep, and your heart broke at how he tried to apologize for not being a ‘true man’ after allowing himself to be even more vulnerable than you.

Why would he have to apologize? Grieving, regardless of the gender, made him human so he didn’t have to feel sorry for showing the weaker side of him. He wasn’t a robot nor was he an emotionless being. He could experience every type of pain that a person may go through and you knew by experience that losing a family member could make someone feel hollow inside. You could understand that Satoru was receiving the magnitude of Nana’s death a lot heavier than the rest of his family because they were putting the blame on him for being the cause of her heart attack.

But essentially, this all boiled down to you. Had you not selfishly announced a divorce that night, none of this would have happened and you could have spared Nana from an imminent death. This was the reason why you had been weeping on your own, too. You kept thinking about how different things would have turned out if you simply communicated with your husband prior to deciding on a divorce on your own. Perhaps, even if you still ended up wanting to separate yourself from him, it could have been done on a good note.

This whole tragic outcome was simply meant to show you that you could never have the upper hand. Your marriage was doomed from the beginning and it was inescapable for the most part, unless you would rather sacrifice the effect it would have on your families, just like what happened to Nana—the very woman that your husband treated like his second mother.

Satoru needed people in his life and your topmost priority as of right now was to stay beside him along with your mother-in-law whose sudden presence added to the comfort that her son desperately yearned for. Back at the hospital, Nana’s caregiver revealed that her death didn’t appear to be due to a heart attack because her eyes were bloodshot and her mouth was parted open when she first saw the old woman in her bed—that was, until Eula ordered them to close Nana’s lids and force her jaw back in. Harsh, but this led to speculations of Satoru’s stepmom being the cause of Nana’s untimely death. Was she the one who had said something to Nana that resulted in her ‘heart attack’? Or could she have done something more to take her life by imbruing her own hands?

Your husband was already too engulfed by his heavy downpour of emotions that he no longer had the energy to go on a rampage about it. He had suspicions about Eula just as you and your mother-in-law did after hearing about the caregiver’s narrative, but Satoru had chosen to remain reticent until the clinical autopsy report came out.

The result? It was a myocardial infarction, exactly like what his stepmom claimed.

“Don’t you think we could have requested a second opinion before they proceeded with the cremation?” you asked, fixing your husband’s tie as he looked straight ahead. Straight to where a large portrait of Nana was displayed behind her burial urn, enwreathed by white flowers and candles that served as part of her memorial.

Satoru’s eyes were empty. Although they were dewy from tears, he had also obtained dark circles under his sunken eyes that were becoming more visible as another hour passed by. You could feel him instinctively leaning against your hand when you wiped his rosy cheek and he took a deep breath before finally cutting his gaze away from Nana’s portrait. “I asked dad if we could do a forensic autopsy,” he spoke in a languid voice as he looked at you. “He got mad and said I was only trying to pass the blame onto someone else.”

Your grimace already spoke for itself. What on Earth even was his father’s logic? It seemed that he and his wife were so dead set on blaming Nana’s demise on Satoru that they were refusing to acknowledge any other circumstance that could have resulted in her tragic fate. You could understand that they trusted the clinical autopsy as these reports came from licensed pathologists, but there was no harm in getting an investigation done from a forensic perspective as this was considered an unwitnessed death.

Before you could speak, Satoru pulled you for an embrace and placed his chin above your head. “It’s too late, anyway,” he said, visibly lackluster. “They already cremated her body.”

“This is all my fault.” You had to pull away just so you could let him see the sincerity in your eyes. “I was the one who asked for the divorce and一”

“Don’t blame yourself. You did nothing wrong.” His eyebrows were furrowed and a disapproving frown was setting on his pale lips. “I can take all the blame and be liable for whatever happened to Nana. Even if this was never my intention, I’d rather have the blame on me than on you. You… You already did so much for me. You suffered too much from being with me. The divorce wouldn’t have crossed your mind if I didn’t give you a reason to think about it, so it makes sense that my dad is agreeing to whatever that woman is telling him.”

You shook your head sullenly. “It’s still unfair that you’re getting blamed.” You couldn’t do much to share his suffering, but you spent the next few minutes hugging him tightly and listening to the slow beat of his heart while he received comfort from your warmth. The only time you had to pull away from the embrace was when his mother came inside the viewing room to talk to the both of you.

“Satoru? Y/N?” His mom approached closer, placing the soft palm of her hand on Satoru’s back. “People have arrived for the viewing. Do you wanna greet the guests?”

It was ironic how Satoru’s mom was the one who was accommodating the visitors instead of Eula who should act as the frontman for the grieving family since she was the legal wife. You found it utterly distasteful how Eula always took pride in presenting herself as the lawfully wedded wife when it came to family celebrations, but this time around she was often just hiding in the shadows of her husband and allowing his ex-wife to do all the work.

But you decided not to think too much about it as you grabbed your husband’s hand and squeezed it softly. “You don’t have to seek out each guest,” you told him, receiving a slow nod as a response. That was his cue to go back to his previous seat in front of Nana’s wake because he insisted on being left alone so he could stay with her. With his request, you and your mother respected it by heading out to see the guests who wanted to pay a quick prayer towards the deceased and offer words of sympathies for the grieving family.

Most of the people wore dark and somber colors as proper decorum. Men were in classic suits and ties while women were in simple black attires without any flamboyant patterns to follow funeral etiquette. You were able to recognize half of the businessmen who came as well as Satoru’s cousins and friends. Ieiri and Getou came to greet you first, both showing worry for you and your husband after they heard the unfortunate news. You guided them towards where Satoru was so they could show their presence even if he didn’t wish to talk to anyone at the moment. Knowing that his best friends were here would help bring comfort to his mourning heart.

The guests kept arriving for another hour after they saw the obituary notice in the headlines. There were influential people and even politicians who were all acknowledged by your father-in-law. You didn’t even notice that your own father had already arrived until you saw him next to Satoru’s dad, nodding at each guest and thanking them for their words of sympathy.

“Have you had any sleep, darling?” was the first thing your father asked when you greeted him with a quick embrace. “You look pale.”

Quickly, you gave him a small smile as you responded. “Don’t worry, dad. I can manage. I need to be here for him.”

You could tell by the worry in your father’s eyes that he wanted to ask more details as to why you brought up the divorce, but he was considerate enough not to talk about it for now at least. You considered it a good thing because you were still unprepared to tell him regarding your initial plan about divorcing Satoru because you knew for sure that it would be a long conversation. There were many topics to discuss—the divorce, the merger, and your plan hereafter. It would be better to have that conversation when you were more emotionally capable to do so.

“Is Gen arriving with her family soon?” you inquired, glancing at the other room to where Satoru remained seated for the longest hour.

Your dad nodded and rubbed your shoulder. “She’s heading straight here as soon as the plane arrives,” he informed. “She said they saw the news through social media when they were boarding the plane.”

Personally, you chose not to check the news and your social media for some time even though you were aware that you were receiving a flood of messages from distant family members and friends. Satoru himself did not bother to check his phone all day and he had you holding onto it so you could be the one to tell him if there were any urgent calls that he had to attend to.

There were no calls. Only hundreds of messages from relatives, employees, or simply the people who knew him. What left you surprised, however, was when you saw the lockscreen on his phone. It was you in Iceland, smiling and looking up at the northern lights—the same picture that you deleted from his camera roll out of spite. Your heart nearly jumped when you saw your face on his lockscreen and your curiosity prompted you to check his camera roll to look for all the previous photos he had of Sera, but all of them have been deleted except from the only one he had of you.

You certainly didn’t know how to react to it and you were feeling a wave of conflicting emotions as you remembered his words before you made love to him. I broke up with her, he swore on his life. I want you. Just you.

“Y/N-chan?”

Turning around to the owner of the familiar voice, you happened to see Naoya Zen’in greeting you from the other side of the hallway with Megumi, Maki, and Mai following him from behind. You didn’t expect to see them today, but you were grateful when the twins immediately hugged you with sadness lingering on their pretty faces to show how much they felt sorry for what you had to go through. Setting the business rivalry aside, you appreciated the fact that they came here at all even though they had no obligation to.

“I’m sorry for your loss.” Mai was the first one to offer her condolences before Maki did the same as she pulled away from the hug.

“We’ll be here if there’s anything you need, Y/N-san.”

Similarly, Megumi was bowing at you before he spoke. “My dad’s currently talking to Mr. Chairman, but he’s worried about you.”

Worried about me? It must be because of how your voice cracked when you talked to him over the phone. All of the Zen’in kids looked concerned about your well-being just as much as Toji was, and you found it quite humorous to see how Naoya was the only one who could still greet you casually. There was a trace of sympathy in his eyes, but the man was a frolic by nature, so you couldn’t really tell what his true feelings were behind his mask of playfulness.

“Y/N-chan, I know you’re supposed to look dull because of the somber mood here, but…” his cat-like eyes scanned your face, “…you’re actually glowing.”

Maki had already hit the back of his head before you could respond. “Stop flirting with her. Toji-san’s gonna kill you.”

“It was a genuine statement and you didn’t have to hit me—!”

The bickering elicited a soft, soundless laugh from you and it was somehow refreshing to be able to smile like that again. It had been a while since you last had a reason to laugh, but you owe it to the Zen’ins for always being the solace that you needed during your darkest days. It was amazing how you were able to feel a sense of home even when you were merely surrounded by this family that you were not even closely tied with. You wondered if your husband’s family would ever reach this sort of connection with each other. But considering Nana’s death, it seemed that whatever remaining bond they had was completely destroyed.

There was a change of expression on Naoya’s face when his eyes flickered to the corner of the hallway and you followed his gaze to see a familiar woman with long brown hair, eyes covered by her large sunglasses as she took a peek towards the main hall. It looked like she was purposely trying to avoid any sort of attention and was only seeking someone specific. That someone being your husband, and you kept your eyes glued on the woman until she removed her sunglasses to reveal her identity.

It was Sera.

Of course, why wouldn’t she show up? You already had an inkling that she was going to visit and try to talk to Satoru, but you never realized how surprising it would be to actually see her here. The visitations for regular employees were scheduled for tomorrow. Today was only for family members, business partners, and the elites. Even more, was she not aware that her presence would only cause more chaos to the grieving family?

Because you have announced the divorce, many people would speculate that she had something to do with it and you could only imagine the rage on Gen’s face once she saw her and put the puzzle pieces together. Your sister had no idea about who Sera was and you weren’t sure if she was aware about the divorce, but it would be easy for her to recognize Sera as the ‘homewrecker’ if she had seen her trying to vie for Satoru’s attention. You could stomach it if she wanted to comfort your husband in private, but it was blatant disrespect to your families for her to show up and steal the attention away from Nana.

Perhaps she could feel the intensity of your stare because Sera turned her head towards you and rolled her eyes before she walked out. Now, where on Earth was she headed to?

“You guys okay? You wanna sit in the other room for a while?”

As Sera momentarily left your view, your stepmother-in-law snatched your attention as she came to welcome the Zen’ins in a cordial demeanor. She had a hand placed on Naoya’s back while she tried her best to talk to him and the kids, seemingly trying to make them feel comfortable even when they were in the presence of a business rival.

However, Naoya stiffened next to your in-law and visibly avoided looking at her face. It was for the first time in your life that you had seen this man looking a little uneasy. He must be really uncomfortable with her presence knowing that he disdained the upstarts with passion. You’ve heard it from Satoru when he told you just how much Naoya used to pester him about not ending up like his father for marrying someone like Eula who, as per the Zen’in heir, was causing an embarrassment for the Gojou family’s reputation. The way his playfulness faded the moment Eula came was a clear message that he disliked the woman more than you thought.

“No, it’s fine Mrs. Gojou.” Mai offered a brief, but polite smile towards the older woman.

Fortunately, Yuuta cleared the awkward air as he went to greet the Zen’in kids who had a far better relationship with him as compared to the adults who ran the rival companies. “Hey, guys.”

“Yuuta,” Maki was quick to acknowledge the boy’s presence when he walked in. You could feel how Yuuta was anxious to be around other people, even around you, but you could understand that the boy was going through the same grief as Satoru was. He had been with Nana for nearly eight years and she treated him like her own grandchild despite the lack of connection in their bloodline. It must have been very difficult for a young boy to handle a loved one’s death at this phase of his life because you knew by personal experience how it felt. He needed to be around people who could give him as much comfort as he needed and you were glad that his friends were here for him.

As for you, you had other business to deal with and you took the chance to excuse yourself from them while you walked towards the direction of where Sera went. It wasn’t like you were chasing her away—you were simply decreasing the risk of a scandal coming out because of her visit since she didn’t have the simple logic to think about how her actions could affect the people around her.

If she wanted to talk to Satoru so badly, she could do it at another time but you were never going to allow it tonight. You would stand on your ground and keep her away before she could even think of making a scene at your grandmother-in-law’s wake. Sera should have had the decency to know that this was not the perfect place to be an intruder to a family gathering. She may have gotten away with it in yours and Satoru’s marriage, but this was where you would set the boundaries.

You managed to see her outside of the establishment, walking back and forth as if she was trying to figure out a way on how to reach your husband. There was genuine worry in her eyes that immediately vanished from the moment her gaze landed on you. The shift in her countenance was remarkable, especially with how she raised an eyebrow when you approached her and looked at the surroundings to see if you were at least out of everyone’s earshot.

“What do you want?” she questioned.

As you crossed your arms over your chest, you tried to keep your breathing steady when you sent her a glacial stare. “Leave before my sister sees you here. Take this as a warning.”

“I don’t care about you or your sister,” Sera scoffed, holding her chin up high as though she was unfazed by your hostility. This girl… You frowned. She’s dressed-to-kill at a funeral? You could see her intentions of trying to fit in with the elites, but there was an appropriate time to be wearing tweed coordinates. A funeral wasn’t the right place to make a fashion statement or to stand out as an individual. However, before you could pay more attention to her outfit, her stance had completely changed again as soon as she saw the person walking behind you. “Satoru!”

There, running past you, was Sera who shamelessly enveloped your torpid husband in her arms, soon wiping his bruised cheeks and cupping them into her hands with the desperation of getting him to look at her.

“Sera.” Satoru held her wrist, eyes empty and lifeless.

“I’m sorry this happened.” You could tell by the tone of her voice that she was about to shed faint tears in front of him. “I’m here for you. I’ll be here for you, always.”

You wouldn’t have cared and you were about to pivot on your heels to take your exit, but your feet were stuck on the marble floors as Toji and Naoya walked out of the funeral home only to see the odd situation between your husband and his apparent ex-girlfriend. It was natural to see Toji’s concerned eyes immediately focusing on you, but it was strange to see how Naoya—despite already having seen Sera earlier—was acting shocked at the sight of her and Satoru together. He even placed a hand on his parted mouth in intrigue. What ever happened to the Naoya who became rigid at the sight of your stepmom-in-law next to him?

“You should go home.” Satoru’s voice had you looking back at him after a minute of distraction and you watched how he removed Sera’s hand from his face and stared at her listlessly. “I’ll be alright. I have my wife next to me.”

“B-But…” Sera took another step closer, but could not continue her words.

He was adamant at shaking his head in refusal. “I can’t really entertain people right now except for my wife.”

It was no longer in your personality to rejoice over the bare minimum and yet you still felt satisfied after hearing him say those words to her. Not because you wanted to shove it in Sera’s face, but because you’ve always wanted to know if Satoru could ever pick his own wife over another woman when the right opportunity came. This was the perfect opportunity and he certainly did not fail you.

You couldn’t see Sera’s reaction as her back was turned to you, but you did witness firsthand how she clenched her hand into a fist and raised it out of anger. Satoru flinched as a defense mechanism and your heart dropped to your stomach to see how his body had just instinctively reacted towards any impending violence. Your husband, your poor husband, had gotten used to receiving physical assault to the point where he would recoil over whichever action that his mind registered as a threat.

Was it really just a mechanical response? Or was it because he had received violence from Sera before and he assumed that he would receive it again? You were already fuming at the thought of her laying her hands on him.

“You heard him. You should go home. I’ll have the bodyguards escort you on the way out,” you intervened by adding more authority to your voice. Sera was looking back at you in disbelief as though she was going to fight back if only the two of you were alone.

In the end, she decided to pull up a pitiful face that almost made you roll your eyes. “You’re being so mean. I just wanna be here for him. Please don’t be selfish.”

“It’s not being selfish, it’s respecting people’s boundaries. He’s clearly grieving and wants to be left alone.” How could she even make this about her?

To cut the tension, Satoru took it upon himself to step away from his ex and grab your hand, intertwining it with his as he led you back to the entrance where he faced an awkward Toji and Naoya who looked like they were waiting for their driver.

Toji, being the rational man that he was, gave your husband a few light pats on the back before he spoke to him. “Satoru, I already talked to your father. My heartfelt condolences on your loss.”

“Thank you,” was all that your husband could muster to say, tightening his hold on your hand while glancing at Sera who seemed to be engaged in a staring contest with Naoya. They know each other?

You tried to overlook the fact that Sera and Naoya were sharing communicative looks and instead focused on thanking Toji for his quick visit. “We appreciate you coming here, Toji. You and the Zen’in family.”

Toji looked like he wanted to say more to you, but had limited himself to a few words out of respect for your husband. “Anytime. We’re actually just about to leave.”

“You guys are leaving?” All of you turned to see Satoru’s mom appearing from the main entrance with a small but curious smile on her face. She was then looping her arm around her son’s while looking at Toji, Naoya, and… Sera. “Oh, we have a new visitor. Come in, darling.”

You saw the wave of panic that bathed your husband’s eyes. “No, mom. She’s—”

Toji cut him off. “She’s with us,” he claimed, saving the day by adding, “and we’ll be leaving soon.”

Even Satoru himself was surprised by Toji’s effort to try and cover the whole thing up and he showed appreciation by sending him a discreet nod, squeezing your hand as he pulled you close. “Mom, we should go back.”

Your mom-in-law agreed. “Okay, well一”

“Wait.” Sera halted her footsteps to approach your husband’s mom. Oh, God. Can the world give you a break for once? You could even hear Satoru’s weary exhale as his ex-girlfriend offered a hand to his mom. “You’re his mom? My name’s Sera.”

While your mother-in-law returned her handshake, Gojou was pulling you by the waist as if reminding Sera that she was in the presence of his wife and that she shouldn’t reveal their relationship even if her life was on the line. But because your mom-in-law was curious, she then asked, “Nice to meet you, Sera. You look beautiful. Are you a friend of my son?”

You caught Naoya holding himself back from grinning until Toji nudged him on the rib and glared at him. The younger man then took it as a hint to quit his antics while the latter presented to answer on behalf of Sera. “She’s Naoya’s girlfriend,” Toji announced, only so he could feed your in-law’s curiosity more than anything else.

Naoya, who did not consent to play the fake boyfriend role, had to hide the look of offense on his face because he was scared of Toji more than anyone in this building. “Yeah, she’s not really a girlfriend. Just… no labels. I don’t do the label thing.” Naoya laughed awkwardly, oversharing his romantic endeavors as if Satoru’s mom cared at all. Soon enough, he was pulling a confused Sera closer to him. “But don’t worry about it.”

Satoru was tired. Frankly, you were, too.

He was already emotionally unstable after the overwhelming grief that he had to process in a span of twenty-four hours and dealing with Sera was going to make him lose his mind. The plain sight of fatigue on his face was what prompted you to simply pull him away before you sent your parting bows towards Toji and Naoya, walking back inside the funeral home with his mom following him behind.

By the time you reached the main hall again, Satoru was already too sluggish to acknowledge the rest of the people inside the room and you silently guided him back to his seat in front of Nana’s portrait so you could let him have his peace of mind. This time around, he had his hand interlaced with yours while placing soft kisses on it as his lonely blue eyes stared at Nana’s urn.

His mother was seated on his other side, rubbing his shoulder in comfort and providing the motherly warmth that she failed to give him for the last eight years. You could tell that your thoughts overlapped with hers because it surprised you when you saw how glossy her eyes became when she looked at her only son. “Satoru, I understand why you hate mom now. I’m sorry.”

Your husband kept a stoic expression that emphasized his sunken face. “Nana was the only mother I had left.”

It felt like you shouldn’t be here to hear them have their heart-to-heart talk, but Satoru was tightening his hold on your hand and refusing to let you go. Was it your presence that was keeping him intact? You assumed that he wouldn’t be as numb as he was now if you weren’t next to him. A lot of people could fall unhinged with the shock of bereavement, but he was not reaching that state yet because he had you as a distraction.

“I know. I know I shouldn’t have left you behind, but I…” While clasping her hand around her son’s, her lips quivered from the downpour of regret that washed over her. “I wouldn’t have been able to give you the life that you wanted if I took you with me. You’re an heir and you’ve always dreamed of running the business since you were a little boy. Your father couldn’t let you have the company if I didn’t leave you behind.”

He closed his eyes and held his breath. “Did you know that dad physically abused me and still does up to this day?”

Satoru’s mom teared up in silence. “No. No, I was made to believe that you were doing well. He tried to cut me off of any form of contact with you for years until I had realized that you were the one refusing to get in touch with me. I understand why. I’m sorry that mom wasn’t there to protect you, Satoru. No words can express how regretful and broken I am for what I had unknowingly put you through. I’m… I can see why you don’t want me to be around you anymore, but I hope that you can at least let mom make it up to you.”

Her last words seemed to have awakened a recent memory in your husband’s brain because his eyes went back and forth between you and his mother as though he was juxtaposing the situation in his head. You could not read his mind, but you were able to discern his thoughts based on the emotion—or lack thereof—on his face. He must be thinking, ‘how could I not give her a chance when I promised my wife the same thing?’

“It’s not your fault that he’s built that way,” he said after a while, referring to his father with a bitter taste in his mouth. “He’d still have found someone else to hurt one way or another.”

There was pain in your mother-in-law’s face as she caressed her son’s cheek and embraced him in her arms. The longingness between a mother and son could be felt from the atmosphere that surrounded the two of them and it somehow felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off your shoulders knowing that Satoru allowed the chance to mend things with his mom. Moments like these reminded you of your own mother and your eyes moved on its own to search for your dad who was standing at the doorway talking to your relatives, but glancing at you every now and then to make sure that you were doing okay.

Surprisingly, you were doing okay for someone who had a heart condition that could lessen your lifespan exponentially if you didn’t take care of yourself. You weren’t even sure how you would be able to tell it to your husband and your father all the more.

Perhaps, dying in your sleep would be better than suffering in a hospital bed fighting for your life.

Why doesn’t he look at me?

Sera repeatedly asked herself that question as she watched Satoru’s figure fading into view. She only wanted to comfort him and let him know that she was here for him, but how come he didn’t seem to appreciate even the minuscule effort that she had placed into seeing him? It wasn’t easy to sneak into this godforsaken place and the fact that she tried her best to see him should be warranted with gratitude. Sera didn’t even have the luxury to linger around like this when she had her family to deal with back home, so she felt that it was a little bit unfair how her sincerity was being taken for granted.

Has Satoru allowed himself to be brainwashed by you?

And wasn’t it weird that he didn’t even display any ounce of jealousy when Naoya played along and claimed that he was dating her? Sera despised how she was being refused the privilege to be acknowledged by his mom because of you and she absolutely hated how you were walking around with your chin up high so you could look down at her. If there was no funeral, she would have made a scene already but she had to pull herself together because she was a dignified woman who knew better than to be petty with someone like you.

“When the driver arrives, you tell him your address and we’ll drop you off.” Toji spoke to her with a voice that was an octave deeper than Gojou’s. As he stood like a fine man dressed in a classic suit and tie, Sera’s anger had quickly faded now that he was talking to her.

“It’s okay. You can just drop me off the subway,” she instructed, facing the man who simply nodded at her while she looked at him with a hopeless look on her face. Why couldn’t she have fallen in love with someone like Toji instead? Her heart was hurting the more she thought of Satoru, especially now that he was betraying her love by choosing you over her and it was greatly upsetting her inside.

“What’s taking them so long? I’m getting impatient here, Toji-kun.” Naoya, on the other hand, would have been a perfect candidate as Sera’s love interest if only he wasn’t too high maintenance for her.

Toji placed his hands inside his pockets and looked around. “Stop your whining. I already texted Megumi. The twins are just saying goodbye to Yuuta.”

While the blond puffed out his cheeks in response, Sera decided to start a conversation with her dear friend to distract her depressive thoughts. “Did you get to greet Miss Eula?”

“She’s too busy.” Naoya looked around in panic before sending a wary gaze back at her. “Don’t ask about her right now.”

But why? Wasn’t he close enough to her that she even treated him like her own son? Sera was puzzled with the way Naoya had reacted, but they were soon distracted at the presence of another woman’s arrival.

Needless to say that this woman was a long-standing member of high society. Even though she donned a simple black trapeze, her domineering aura and intimidating presence reminded Sera of the archetypal boss ladies in the Gojou Group. It didn’t even surprise her when Toji greeted the woman after she stepped out of a sedan with her husband.

“Toji Zen’in?” She lit up at the sight of him. That smile, those eyes… “How long have you been here?”

Toji greeted her and her husband with a handshake. “Just about to leave. Did you arrive in Japan just today?”

“Yeah. We came here straight off the PJ. It’s a mess, I can’t even keep up with everything that happened while we were gone.”

“It must be overwhelming. You should go check with your sister, Gen.”

Gen? Sera turned to Naoya who was grinning on the side. This is your sister? She could now see what the blond had just told her about when he gave brief descriptions about the woman. She was living to the expectations that were set on her as a strong, outspoken woman who didn’t hold back at lowering her voice the way you did. Sera wasn’t scared, but she was deeply curious to see just how different this woman was from you.

“I definitely should. It was nice seeing you, though. Hey, Naoya.” And after greeting the blond, Gen’s eyes had then found her. She wasn’t scrutinizing nor was her gaze full of judgement. She only seemed to be genuinely curious as to who Sera was, eyes travelling on her from head-to-toe which appeared to be a stupid trait that all rich people shared.

But before she could ask who she was, the three Zen’in kids already came out of the funeral home and Toji was insisting for everyone to get inside their luxury van before Gen could try to start a conversation with Sera. Well, all she received from the woman was a raised eyebrow before she and Toji exchanged a cheek kiss.

Was Toji trying to save Sera from any conflict? Or was he doing this for your reputation?

She had these thoughts in mind during the entire car ride and Sera had chosen to stay silent than to pick a fight with Mai who had been nothing but hostile towards her. It was better to hold her class than to deal with an insecure teenage girl with a rotten, snobbish attitude. She was too unbelievably pompous for someone who was only living off of her daddy’s money and Sera was sure that this girl wouldn’t even last long doing a single day of hard work.

But enough of Mai, because Sera was too downcast when she came home and checked her phone to see not a single message of apology from Satoru. Did she really not mean anything to him? Did he not appreciate that she was there for him in his most difficult time?

As Sera sat on her bed, she saw her reflection on the mirror despite the dim light that the lampshade offered and she was feeling empty the more she looked at herself. She was pretty, smart, and hard working. Her model-like appearance could turn heads in a crowded room. She even rejected many guys just to stay loyal to Gojou, but now he decided to hurt her like this? Wasn’t he the same man who always expressed how he couldn’t get enough of her? He used to even stay past office hours just so he could spend some alone time with her, and now he couldn’t even spare her a look of appreciation?

She was heartbroken and not even her pride could hide that. Not even her dignity could accept the kind of woman that she had become after loving a man like Satoru Gojou. He was her life and soul—a partner that she cherished more than anyone else in this world. How could he do this?

“Onee-chan?”

Sera wiped her tearful eyes and unintentionally smudged her mascara when her brother, Jiro, came to peek inside her room. “What is it?”

“Are you okay?” The worry in his voice comforted her and she allowed him to sit next to her while more tears gushed out of her eyes. Pathetic. She felt pathetic for hurting like this as she remembered every instance where Satoru chose you. At the parking lot of the bowling alley, outside of the hospital, and now in front of his own wife at the funeral home.

“I’m not okay,” she gave a truthful answer towards her younger brother, sniffing and wiping the tears that streamed down on her rosy cheeks. “Jiro, nee-chan’s been having it rough lately. I’m sorry if I take out my anger on you and Nari. I’m just really stressed sometimes.”

Her brother let her rest her head on his shoulders as she teared up. “It’s okay… We understand.”

“Have you been studying well? Anything you need for school?” she asked, remembering how her brother often went to school with barely enough money to have proper meals other than convenience store noodles. It wasn’t healthy food for a college student whose brain was always functioning day and night and she felt like a total failure for not being able to provide enough for her siblings. Despite the money she had received from Gojou’s father, most of it already went to pay the rent of their new house and the others to pay the debt that their burdensome father left them with. Life had always been very unfair to her since the beginning.

But her brother, in spite of their limited sources, was working extra hard to help his sister. “Don’t worry about me, nee-chan. I just started a part-time job at a fast food chain so I can help you out.”

Sera sat up straight and looked at her brother with wide, glossy eyes. “Wh-What do you mean? How can you focus on your studies?”

“It’s okay. I can manage it.” His reassuring smile didn’t make her feel any better because her own guilt was consuming her. “If you’re ever stressed from work, treat yourself with whatever you want. Buy yourself some new shoes, make up, or a dress. Go out and eat at an expensive restaurant. Don’t think about giving every single penny to us. Mom’s trying to find a way to earn money, too. And Nari just started selling cookies at her school so she could have her own allowance. We’re all helping you out, nee-chan.”

At that point, Sera was already weeping next to her brother after hearing all the effort that they were putting just to lessen the weight on her shoulders. “Just make s-sure to tell me if y-you need anything, okay?” she said, barely seeing from the tears that clouded her vision. “You and Nari will always be my priority.”

“And you will be our priority when we grow up.” Jiro’s grin warmed her heart. “I promise when I earn enough money, Nari and I will get that Birkin bag that you want.”

She chuckled through her tears and embraced her younger brother. “I love you guys so much.”

The next three days had been hectic. Aside from the reporters that stayed outside the gates, many visitors have also arrived each hour to pay tribute to the mother of the Gojou Group’s chairman. Many people have expressed their sympathies and condolences towards the bereaved and the support was definitely helping in terms of alleviating the magnitude of the immediate family’s grief. Satoru hasn’t had the chance to talk to his father and his stepmother again after the day of the cremation, but the lack of communication was because he was purposely avoiding them. The tension was still high and he knew better not to stir the pot while knowing full well that it would only lead to more confrontations.

As for you, you were grateful enough that Gen didn’t try to inundate you with questions regarding the divorce. You were guessing that your dad gave her a head start to not bring the topic up until after the burial rites because you were already dealing with a lot. Although, you did notice how Gen was distancing herself from Satoru. Your husband still treated her like normal, but she couldn’t even hide her displeasure when he tried to speak to her, limiting their conversations to just a few sentences before she would walk away from him.

You felt bad for the way your sister was treating your husband, someone who looked up to her and was close to her like her own sibling, but you also couldn’t blame Gen for acting that way. She was protective of you and it was natural for her to be suspicious of what Satoru had done that led you with the ultimatum of a divorce.

You would never tell her about the infidelity unless Satoru himself would admit it. What you have decided with was to cite your divorce on the grounds of irreconcilable differences because it was the best path to take. The public would not shame him for committing adultery and your families would be more accepting towards your separation.

But right now wasn’t the time to think about it. On the day of Nana’s funeral procession, you acted as an anchor of support for your mourning husband who was drowning from his own tears while he delivered his eulogy in front of everyone before they placed his beloved grandmother in her final resting place. The whole ceremony was emotional, but the loudest cry of all came from his stepmother who weeped behind her Hermés handkerchief and Dior sunglasses. She was quite the scene stealer that even Yuuta looked visibly uncomfortable with his own mother’s actions.

The Gojou family have their own private columbarium that housed their late grandfather and you were tearing up alongside your husband after you remembered that one conversation you recently had with Nana. The image of her gleeful face as she talked about her late-husband was deeply etched into your heart. At least, even if things ended tragically, you were comforted by the thought that she had now reunited with her one true love.

You, on the other hand, have a completely broken husband to take care of. Even though you experienced some chest pains during the burial rights, you’ve certainly had worse ones before because you didn’t have the necessary medication that you needed back then.

Ieiri showed her concern when she approached you after the interment of ashes and noticed how Satoru remained standing in front of the gravestone even when people had started to leave. “Are you holding up well?” she worriedly asked, pulling you for a quick but comforting hug. “Don’t forget to take your medicines on time, okay?”

You nodded in reassurance just as Getou appeared behind her. “I’ll be okay. Have you guys had the chance to talk to Satoru?”

Suguru tilted his head to peek at your husband and sighed. “Yeah, but he’s always spaced out. I guess I should give him a week or two to recover first. This was really sudden.”

“True,” Shoko agreed, sorrowful. “Are you sure you can take care of yourself, Y/N? Your husband isn’t emotionally stable right now. I can stay with you if you need me or anything.”

You appreciated her offer, but they had their own lives, too. “No, it’s okay I promise. Satoru’s mom is actually staying in Tokyo for a few months so she’s gonna be there for us.”

Getou raised his eyebrows at the information. “Oh, I thought Auntie just came here because it was an emergency. Have they reconciled?”

The small smile that you had plastered on your face was already an answer to his question. “Yeah, and his mom’s actually setting up a new branch for their restaurant here in Tokyo so she won’t be going back to Osaka for a while. I guess it's the perfect opportunity for them to reconnect.”

After an hour or so, Satoru was the last man standing when everyone else had already left and you waited for him until he was finally ready to leave, stealing the car key from his pocket and insisting that you would be in charge of driving. He barely had the energy to do anything and you didn’t want to risk a car crash because he was still deep in his sorrow.

But instead of driving straight to the penthouse, you decided to take a detour to Odaiba and earned the confusion of your husband who wouldn’t stop asking what you were up to.

“Nothing,” you ended up answering. “Just thought we should grab a quick fro-yo like old times?”

He took your hand as soon as you got out of his McLaren. “You remember?”

“Of course, I do.”

The fro-yo place had been here since you were ten years old and it was a great feeling to see that it had risen up as one of the most iconic fro-yo places in Tokyo fifteen years after. This place was memorable because his mom and yours used to take you both here to have your monthly fro-yo fix after a long day at the park. You recognized the look on Satoru’s face when he entered the shop and you instantly knew that he was having the nostalgia of his childhood memories with you.

“Should we get the usual?” he asked, never once letting go of your hand.

You peeked at the available toppings and marveled at the abundance of flavors that you could choose from. “If you still remember mine. I remember yours. It’s matcha with pistachio.”

For the first time in a long while, you were finally able to see the upward curve of his lips again. His eyes were still empty, but seeing even a little bit of his smile made your heart flutter. “Yours is banana and strawberry cheesecake.”

“This is so cheesy. We’re acting like teenagers,” you teased, scrunching your nose and feeling his soft plump lips pressed on your cheek. His kiss was fleeting and yet it meant the world to you to see how you could at least lessen the pain that he had in his heart. To see that you could erase the sadness in his face even for a short moment.

The whole fro-yo date may be sweet and romantic, but it was a different case when you returned back home. It seemed that there was nothing left of Satoru’s energy as he headed to bed earlier than usual. You had just finished your night bath when you came out to see him staring at the ceiling, perhaps self-reflecting of how he was going to move on from Nana’s death. The lack of sleep may have taken its toll because he had very prominent bags under his eyes and his skin wasn’t looking the healthiest even from afar.

You had the brilliant idea to give him a little skincare when you walked into your bedroom, freshly showered as you straddled his lap and unwrapped your go-to Guerlain Orchidée Impériale Sheet Mask.

“What’s that, baby?” he asked, hands gripping your thighs while he rested his back on the headboard. “Is that the mask that costs three hundred dollars?”

You suppressed a smile as you remembered using his black card when you purchased it online two months ago, which was why he recognized it easily. “I’ll pay you back,” you promised, putting your pink hairclips on him to keep his hair away from his face. How cute. And just then, you started placing the cold, slimy sheet on his forehead down to his cheeks. “Nothing’s too expensive when it comes to skin care.”

That was a lie. Three hundred dollars over a pack of four sheet masks was surely expensive and a waste of money, but this brand was your favorite and your husband didn’t exactly care much about the price tag.

“You don’t have to pay me anything in return,” he insisted, now placing his hands on your hips and keeping it there as you continued aligning the sheet on his face. “Actually, no. You can pay me with a kiss.”

Without any complaints, you leaned in and pressed your lips on top of his, indulging him with a soft kiss before you pulled away. “Done.”

You have gotten used to the feeling of connecting your lips to his, but the way he stared at you after the kiss was what increased the speed of your heartbeat. His blue eyes reflected a kaleidoscope of emotions—love, regret, sorrow, and appreciation. There were more emotions in his broad spectrum, but what dominated the most was his misery.

How could such a lighthearted moment suddenly shift back into something heavy again?

“I love you,” he said, voice laced with despondency.

His hand moved to tuck your hair behind your ear before he caressed your back as though he was comforted by your mere presence in his life. Still, you had no answer as to why you hesitated in returning those three words back to him. Nothing would come out of your mouth even if you opened it and you felt terrible because you knew just how badly he wanted to hear it from you.

“I love you. You don’t have to say it back,” he repeated while brushing his thumb on the apple of your cheek. “You do so much for me. You try so hard to be the best wife I could ever ask for. You stayed with me even though I had been unbearable. You listened to my trauma, put up with my cheating, and constantly forgave me for all the fucked up things I did even if you never heard any apology from me until recently. Nana said I should feel blessed to have a woman like you in my life, but how can I tell her that I don’t deserve you?”

You were at a loss of words. And at a loss of space to breathe all the more. Gojou’s mind was a befuddled mess, but you weren’t expecting that he would pour out his emotions like this again after three consecutive days of producing so many tears that left him like a dried prune. Should you say that he deserved you despite everything? Or should you be more honest and agree that you’ve been too selfless as a wife?

A soft sigh escaped his lips as he continued his monologue with a question. “Do you still want the divorce?”

At one simple question, you lost the ability to think straight. “I don’t know…”

And yet him… He seemed to have already thought this through. It looked like he had gone over it in his head a million times until he had finally decided, out of respect for you, to simply accept the end of this marriage. “Would it make you happy if I let you go?”

“Why are you—” You couldn’t tell him that your heart was splitting into two, or at least the fact that the pain felt that way. Your chest was tighter than usual and you were forced to rub your hand over your heart to try and soothe the very illness that he was not even aware of. “Why are you asking me this now?”

His eyes found the ceiling where you watched how faint tears emerged from his eyelids. The slow fluttering of his lashes signaled his exhaustion and you dreaded hearing the words that he was about to say. “I always end up hurting the people around me somehow. I don’t wanna destroy you for staying with me.”

Was this truly the same man who begged on his knees just to make you stay?

“We can talk about it at another time.” You avoided meeting his eyes and crawled out of his lap, tucking yourself under the duvet and turning your back on him. You had to or else he would see the gloom that casted your face like a cloudy sky. “Let’s go to sleep.”

Satoru couldn’t remember when he last slept for twelve hours straight, but the overall exhaustion that he had for the past few days made him numb. Sleeping in brought him comfort because that way he could shut down the despair that was gnawing at his soul when his mind wasn’t conscious. It didn’t really help that he had no motivation to get up from bed, but the only reason why he was standing barefoot on the carpeted floors was because you weren’t in bed when he woke up the next day.

It was a routine. Gojou was so used to seeing your face the first thing in the morning that he often felt empty when you disappeared from his line of sight. He was overthinking—no, paranoid was the right term. His mind was suggesting that maybe you had chosen to leave him because he was such a heavy baggage to carry along and he couldn’t really blame you for feeling that way. However, when he stepped out of the bedroom, he could smell the inviting aroma of freshly brewed coffees and he found you in the kitchen preparing a lavish breakfast for you two.

“Good morning,” you were the first one to greet him while he walked straight towards you.

His greeting was a peck on the lips before he embraced you in his arms. “Morning.”

“You need to eat a lot, okay? Consider this your brunch.” The motherly tone on your voice was quite endearing and he adored how you could manage to be such a calming presence to him without even trying.

When he cupped your cheeks, he pressed the tip of your noses together and rubbed it against each other. “How can I get used to mornings without you?”

How could he find joy to start his day once he was no longer with you? Life was surely a rollercoaster ride. It was crazy to think how he used to neglect you in the first few months of your marriage and he even promised himself that he didn’t need you until he had fallen in love, again. Frankly, nothing could compare to the gratifying feeling and the intensity of his emotions after he realized just how in love he was with you. He could fall in love with you every single day and not get tired of the electricity that sparked in his heart because you were the only person that could send him into seventh heaven.

Though, on your part, it looked like you were just doing your obligation as a wife. “Sit down and eat,” you instructed, ignoring his question and forcing him to take his seat on the bar stool.

Satoru obeyed your commands and drank from his cup of Americano, eyes trailing on you while you took out the box of lemon bars from the refrigerator. He was already munching on the crispy bacon strips that you had cooked and remembered how much you craved those lemon squares yesterday when you dropped by at a bakery after your quick fro-yo date.

“Why do you like those so much?” he inquired, keeping you trapped under his curious stare.

You placed the delicacy near your nose, engulfing yourself with its sweet smell before you took a bite. “Because it’s so good.”

With the way your eyes sparkled as you happily ate those bars, Gojou was already full just by watching you. He could buy you a hundred boxes of your favorite dessert if it meant that he had to see the felicity in your face each time you took a bite. Unfortunately, the bliss was only momentary because you were soon pressing your palm on your chest and downing a glass of water to calm yourself down.

“Hey, are you okay?” he asked, getting up from his seat to quickly stand on your side.

You tried to wave him off, but whimpered when the pain on your chest had seemingly gotten worse. “Nng—my med… medicine. Can you please—?”

Panic flashed before his eyes. “Where is it? What medicine?”

“P-Pink make up bag.”

He knew exactly what you were referring to and he was dashing back to the bedroom at lightning speed just to grab the make up pouch that you hid inside your drawer, hastily taking it with him when he returned to you. “Here. Do you wanna go to the hospital? You don’t look okay.” The sight made his heart pound faster than normal and he froze like solid ice as he saw how you scrambled through the pouch, withdrawing a small white bottle spraying it under your tongue. “What’s…”

You were gasping as he held you for support, but your panic attack didn’t lessen even as you used the spray. “I’m o-okay. It’s just—”

What’s happening to my wife?!

Before he could ask again, you fainted into his arms and he was shell-shocked by how fast things had escalated. All he knew was that he had to get you to a hospital at that very instant or else he might reach the zenith of losing his sanity if anything bad happened to you.

Being at a hospital again was quite a traumatic experience for Satoru, but he endured the fresh memories that lingered in his head just to ensure that you would get all of the necessary treatment that they could provide because he had gotten to a point of being extremely discomposed.

He could die today and not be surprised, but losing you through death would kill him a million times worse.

Even as your peaceful, sleeping body lay still on the ER’s hospital bed, he was pacing back and forth hoping that you would wake up soon.

What should he do? Call Gen? Tell his mom? Get Ieiri to come down and see you?

A fusillade of questions went through his disconcerted mind until a doctor opened the curtains, receiving the eager eyes of a husband who was desperate to hear some news about his wife.

“Mr. Gojou, her body’s just recuperating from fatigue,” the doctor reassured, tilting his head to see you shifting very carefully in your sleep. Still, Satoru wasn’t content with his assuring words and the doctor expected it. “Would you mind stepping out for a moment so we can discuss your wife’s condition?”

Was it serious? He nodded and followed the doctor who walked not too far away from your section of the ER and faced Satoru with a fairly neutral expression. “Doc, what’s happening to her? Is there anything I should worry about?”

Satoru literally just had to deal with his grandma’s death and he couldn’t withstand the stress of dealing with another grave situation.

The older man—Dr. Mori as labeled on his lab coat—sent him a hesitant look before revealing some important details about your health. “I’m not sure how much you have discussed with your wife, but her heart is very fragile and requires a lot of care. It appears that the patient was under constant stress for the past week and this is one of the two factors that heightened her angina attack.”

“A-Angina?” Satoru’s eyes went wide.

His whole world stopped before him.

“Yes. She was diagnosed with stable angina,” Dr. Mori confirmed, much to your husband’s horror. “But there is another factor that requires her to have more rest. You need to take good care of your wife, Mr. Gojou. Her body needs a lot of nutrients so she can carry safely.”

He could barely process this whole thing in his head because the news kept coming one after another, leaving him in a befuddled state with a flood of unanswered questions running through his mind. “What do you mean…?”

“Your wife is seven weeks pregnant.”

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#gojou satoru x reader #gojou satoru x you #gojou satoru angst #gojo satoru x reader #gojo satoru x you #gojo satoru angst #gojo x reader #gojo x you #gojo angst #jjk x reader #jjk x you #jjk angst

[maidenson88]

THE COMING GYNARCHY — PART I.

GYNARCHIC WORLD PART I.

BY THE FSU — THE INTERNATIONAL GYNARCHY MOVEMENT.

Introduction.

Most of society has lived under the failed patriarchy system, which exists in denial of the true superiority of the Female gender. The time has come for society to make the final shift and both acknowledge and embrace the truth that is Gynarchy and Female superiority. To truly make the world a better place, society doesn't need gender equality, only a total global Gynarchy can help. Gynarchy proclaims the natural and biological superiority of Woman over man, and to the benefit of the planet and to all people, male or Female, of the empowerment of Woman.

A Gynarchy is a society and government by and for Female interests, including any establishment of laws and bureaucracies that benefit Women. A Gynarchy is synonymous with what is also commonly referred to as “Feminist governance," a "Femocracy," or a "Petticoat government." Under a Gynarchy, Women are the superior gender with men being second-class subservient citizens. Under a Gynarchy, individual households would be run in a Matriarchy fashion where the Wife is not subject to, but superior to Her husband. The aim of Gynarchy is to reorganize society and government in such a way as to empower Women, prioritize the interests of Women, and to enable every male to develop and use all his capabilities and powers in subjugation to the Female will. This will be achieved by means of the permanent transfer of private property in the form of land and inheritance to exclusively Female hands, and by the indenture of males to individual or collective Feminine groups, within a new Gynarchic society. Ultimately, the end result is that Female domination of the family, politics, business, school, and society in general will solve or improve the social problems that currently plague the world.

There will be many stages to the rise of the Gynarchy, including developments in politics, economics, society, and culture. Many of these changes will occur naturally, but as Women and men become more aware of the benefits, and become more Gynarchy minded, these changes will come faster as society actively moves itself in the right direction. The beginning of the declared Gynarchy will come when Gynarchic parties have secured a clear mandate, Female supremacy ideology is publicly acknowledged and promoted. The Gynarchy will be declared with the passing of the marriage act. The marriage act will define the Wife as the head of the household in Female-male couples, and give the Wife full power of authority over Her husband. While exercise of the full extent of this power will be entirely up the each Wife to choose, at any time She will have the legal right to overrule Her husband, and will essentially own him in a legal sense for the duration of their union. This will give all Women a taste of the dominance they can enjoy in the new order, rapidly speeding up Women's participation in bringing about total Female supremacy. The changes brought on by this first act will make the Gynarchy a reality and begin the transformation of society in a totally Female dominated direction.

The new world under a Gynarchy will be very much the same as the world today, only much improved in many ways. As the Gynarchy develops, and culture changes to fit the interests and mentalities of the Women and men living in the society, there will be fundamental shifts in popular art, entertainment, sports, public life, home life, and interpersonal relationships. As total Female dominance becomes generational, younger generations will be so totally immersed in the culture that it would be hard to imagine what life was like before the Gynarchy. Ask young people of today if they had a choice would they prefer to live in medieval society, or in the society of the 1870s. Most with any knowledge of what life was like for most people in those time periods would find those societies to be fraught with social problems, injustice, and misery, and would not prefer to live in such a world. Those living in the realized Gynarchy will likely have a similar view of the late-20th and early 21st centuries, and few would see the "loss" of some "rights" for men as a worthy excuse for the barbarism, excesses, and miseries of the patriarchal world. True, men will be in some ways second-class citizens in the Gynarchy, but the world filled with the love, beauty, and compassion of Female leadership will not be something many men would be interested in giving up. Most men will be far too concerned with the happiness of the Women in their lives, whom they care for deeply, to worry themselves with such backwards notions anyway.

Politics & Law.

A Female dominant society is dependent upon transforming global governments into a Gynarchy. In a Gynarchy... politics, leadership, law and management will be the realm of Women. While the support of "enlightened" men will be important to the transition to Gynarchy, ultimately the ability of men to vote will be logically removed. Some laws will need to be enacted to ensure the total compliance of men to the new order.

Absolutely essential to bringing about the Gynarchy and all it's benefits are five laws:

1.-) A law banning men from voting:

In a Gynarchic society, only Women will be allowed to vote in government elections. Removing the ability of men to vote is important, not only for its symbolism, but also equally as vital for removing the male ego from ruining the world through greed and violence. This will also make bringing about other important changes to law much easier.

2.-) A law banning men from holding key positions in office:

Just like a law banning men from voting, removing the ability of men to hold office is equally as important for its symbolism, as well as removing the male ego from ruining the world through greed and violence. This will also make bringing about other important changes to law much easier.

3.-) An amendment redefining existing sexual harassment laws:

Existing laws defining sexual harassment would need to be amended to state that harassment or showing disrespectful behavior towards Women by a man will be forbidden and made legally punishable. Furthermore, the amended law would also have to state that harassment and speaking or showing disrespectful behavior towards a man by a Woman will be legally protected.

4.-) An amendment giving the right to each and every Woman to discipline men:

The right of Women to discipline men, within legally described limits of safety and situation, will need to be fully protected under law. On the other hand, violence or physical force of any kind against a Woman by a man will carry heavy punishments.

5.-) An amendment banning men from inherit land and wealth:

In a Gynarchic society, only Women must be allowed to inherit land and wealth. The right of Women to inherit land and wealth from their Female relatives must be given in the new compendium of Gynarchic laws, making inheritance an exclusive Women’s right, excluding males from any economic or financial system. It means that in a Gynarchic Family, the Daughter must be the only one who should take care of Her Family assets. It must be the Daughter the only one who must have the right to inherit all the land and wealth from Her Mother, even  overriding Her own father in hierarchy on this right. Being the only two exceptions for this rule:

1.-) When there is not a Female descendant;

In this case a financial Female-guardian must be appointed to both father and son or any other Female-relative, in case the Mother suddenly passes away, it will be their Female-guardian or Female-relative the one who must look for the good of father and son, only if the Mother passes away.

2.-) When a Mother decides to transfer some part of Her wealth directly and exclusively to Her Daughter in law, aka Her son’s Mistress Wife;

In this case a Mother can decide to inherit 80% of all Her wealth to Her biological Daughter, and 20% to Her Daughter in law, or whatever She decides fit better for Her Gynarchic Family.

While different places may have additional Gynarchy based laws, these simple changes will be all that is necessary to bring about the positive social effects a Gynarchy government can bring. Little else will change, but crime, poverty, war, and many other social problems will be drastically reduced or even eliminated all together. It seems a very small price to pay for an end to so much human suffering. Men will still be totally free to make life choices for themselves, and to come and go, within the limits of their own lives. As in any society, there will be some people who don't agree with the principles of the prime culture, and imagine that things would be better without the Gynarchy. Due to Female supremacy education, and the great benefits the society imparts towards Women, few Women will feel strongly enough this way to undermine the gains of the Gynarchy. Similarly, most men will realize the great virtue of Female leadership, and will be increasingly raised to find it normal and preferable.

Nonetheless, there will be ”male agitators” and an undercurrent of "male liberation" gender equality supporters. While any agitators will be given a stern response, peaceful male disagreement will be tolerated, albeit widely ridiculed in culture and public discourse. Due to the end of male suffrage, and the teaching of history showing the horrors of the patriarchy, these ideas will not be widespread or ever achieve any meaningful political traction.

Gender Roles.

In the Gynarchy, Female domination of men's personal lives will be omnipresent, institutionalized, culturally celebrated, and even enforced. Imagine a gender-reversed 1950's, with the sexual spirit of the late 1960's, the tolerance of all people arising in our present day, with the technology of the near future. Certainly Women will occupy all political offices, positions of authority, and all managerial or executive jobs, and certainly, many Women will prefer to keep their men at home in the role of "househusband."

Men will still be free to choose their own lives. Those that end up there will end up there because they will choose it willingly, and usually gladly. However men can be just as bright, creative, insightful, and inventive as Women, and humankind would not benefit from losing all those talents that men have to offer. Men can still learn and take a career in any field they choose, they will simply be barred from having authority over Women. There is no reason any administrative position can't simply be filled by a competent Woman instead. Men holding leadership positions is absolutely not necessary in any way, and serves only their vanity and petty competition for dominance over other men. If a man does not have a valuable contribution to make as an artist, designer, scientist, mechanic, engineer, or other intellectual occupation, there is no need for him to be involved in any job that could be filled by a Woman instead. The world is just as it is today, only if the job is to be the boss of anyone, that job will only be held by a Woman. Even with future advances in robotics and automation, there will still be plenty of jobs for men as laborers. In addition, instead of military service, men will be able to enter into service of society in the State Service run by prominent Female-led societies. Male fashion will be indicative of their gender's role, because Women will largely be controlling what their men wear, and more so as time goes on, but also because all the clothes for men will be designed and produced by companies run by Women.

As Women will have the general authority to overrule, control, and manage men, society wide attitudes and practices will shift accordingly. As Women will have direct and specific authority over the men subordinate to them in different areas of their lives, management of smaller and more day to day aspects of a man's life will eventually become a natural part of life.

Society.

Under a Gynarchy government, the world will be entirely run by Women, with the needs, interests, and preferences of Women made the focus of all social activity. Society will be geared around maximizing independence, recreation, and happiness for Women. Men's happiness will be the secondary goal, except in any way in which it interferes with maximum possible happiness of all Women involved. Men will be raised and encouraged to take pleasure in social events and arrangements that make Women happy and try always to satisfy even the smallest desires of a Woman.

Public Life.

Public life in the first years of the Gynarchy will see the beginning of changes in dress, behavior, and activities, but will not be drastically different from before. Within a decade or two, however, social life will have been totally transformed by the interests, behaviors, and priorities of the Women raised in the Gynarchy. The social taboos and repressed culture of the patriarchy will be totally replaced by the practical, enjoyable, and uninhibited environment of the Gynarchy.

Fashion.

Among the earliest signs of the Gynarchy will be the decline of men wearing pants. This will prove to be one of the Gynarchy's most important cultural developments, as it will speed along and solidify the rise of Female supremacy in society. The change will happen as Women in relationships stop allowing their men to wear pants, single men begin desiring their new clothing options, and over time as designers and clothing companies stop making pants for men. This will make the new world order highly visible, allowing Gynarchy prone men to embrace and promote the changes in society, and helping resistant men accept, embody, and internalize their new roles and positions.

While Women's fashion will still include a huge variety of clothing choices, there will naturally be some shifts to styles that reflect Women's power, domination, and authority. This will mean more business and professional looks, more pants in general, more boots, and more intimidating looks. However Women will still choose all the styles they enjoy, and as their sexuality is a huge part of their dominance and control of men, there may be an increase in sexy and revealing styles, with Women choosing options that highlight and celebrate the Female body. Despite shifts in popularity of styles, Women will choose any fashion styles they like, and Women will choose a wide range of choices just as they do today. The effect of Gynarchy fashion on other aspects of society will be manifold, as it visibly reiterates the primary basis of the new society - the enhancement of Women's privilege, and the removal of male privilege.

Culture.

Culture is a reflection of the interests and values of the society that produces it. Cultural products are dictated by the needs and wants of that society. Culture evolves when it's products influence members of society, imparting common beliefs, practices, and attitudes. The culture of the Gynarchy will initially be a Female dominated take on the culture of the patriarchy, but over time will build and reinforce itself until its products are uniquely Gynarchic in origin. This will mean new art, sculptures,  statues, paintings, parks, literature, social groups, media, music, fashion, film industry, theater, TV series, TV shows, TV Ads, TV nightly news, marketing, internet, architecture, furniture, clothing, machines, tools, sex toys, sports, games, public events, and any other aspect of society.

Relationships.

Relationships in the Gynarchy will come in all shapes, just as today. There will be a variety of heterosexual relationships, depending on the personalities involved, but generally speaking most could be described as 'Female lead', 'Female dominated', or 'totally Female controlled'. While homosexual couples of both sexes will experience little difference in the range of relationships they would find in the present day, heterosexual couples will be experiencing a total transformation and reversal of normalcy from back in the dark ages of the patriarchy.

In the early years of Gynarchy there will still be many men seeking out Women who exercise as little of their right to dominance as possible, and enough Women out there who don't want to be dominant towards men, that certain patriarchal forms will still persist. After the first generation fully raised in the Gynarchy, and even more so after the second, the majority of Women will have been raised with the confidence, attitude, and expectation of male submissiveness that will empower them to fully actualize the spirit of the Gynarchy.

Similarly, men raised by Gynarchic institutions such as in their public school, government, workplace, and social groups, will still become immersed in proper Female-led education, even if their Mothers still runs a backward boy-coddling home. This will mean that eventually it will be hard to find a Woman to date that is not at least moderately dominant towards men, and equally hard to find a man to date that isn't looking for Female leadership from his partner. Each gender will have been raised to expect and feel comfortable in those roles, and this will mean more often than not, will enjoy the completeness and deep satisfaction that Female dominated relationships bring. Sure, there will always be some Women who prefer the sub-culture of some male authority in private, and this is of course their preference and choice. An even greater percentage will probably have tried some role playing, or role reversal to change things up or for fun from time to time, but this kind of thing is always a word away from being back under Female control. It is a world where the Woman is free to be Herself, to dress in as much or as little as She wishes, in any style, to love Her interests and share them or keep them to Herself as She wishes, and to expect and demand that a relationship is all about impressing, pleasing, and obeying Her, no matter what Her life preferences are.

Men will have the right to choose as well, but their choices will be different. Not getting into a relationship with a dominant Woman will mean very little chance of any kind of regular release from their chastity devices, in other words less ejaculations. Instead finding a partner that is right for them will be still very much part of a man's life under Gynarchy, although the constancy of male chastity will be essential since a very early age in his life, the best way always will be to enforce male chastity on boys since they reach puberty, this way they will get  accustomed to it and will not have struggles later in life, this will certainly make most men far less picky, more passive and submissive towards Women and far more accommodating than they are today.

While breaking up with a man that is not working out, or isn't a good long-term fit will be easy for a Woman, relationships are a bit more of a commitment for a man. A man can date a Woman just as simply as today, even get sexual with his mouth, ass, and hands, but to get his chastity key into the hands of a Woman from the Department of Men or his own Mother, She has to agree to become into his Keyholder, referred to as his 'Mistress' or his 'Girlfriend.' Both terms have the same meaning in a legal and societal sense. This means She had to arrange to get his key from his Mother, Female-guardian, the Department of Men, his current Female Boss, or his previous Girlfriend or Mistress.

When a break-up occurs, the key either returns to the previous holder, or the ex-girlfriend can simply retain it. This means breaking up with a Girl that does not want to break up isn't always a simple proposition or a good idea for a male under Gynarchy. While a boy can certainly get a legal injunction to have his key returned to the Department of Men, or his Female Boss, or his Mother/Female-guardian, this requires a bit of effort and is not a quickly process, as it requires schedules. This should seriously improve the seriousness with which men enter into relationships in Gynarchy, and help to improve their behavior during a relationship, and if it comes to it, at the end of one. There is also the possibility that if a now ex-Girlfriend and/or Witnesses testify regarding the man's behavior that lead to the break-up, a judge might not even allow the key to be returned.

There are also legal provisions which allow the transfer of keys to other Women entirely at the Keyholder's consent. These are primarily used for situations where a Woman is travelling for work or other reasons and wishes to assign another temporary Authority. Due to this, a Woman can sign over a key legally to another Woman and break up with a man, leaving him to choose between convincing Her to return it somewhere else, allow him to have releases, or wait the four to six months waiting period before a temporary Keyholding permit expires. This is another freedom of choice that is a man's right, and he can choose which ever of those three options he wishes!

The male’s choices after a Keyholder Woman breaks up with him under Gynarchy, regarding his male chastity device:

1.-) Convincing Her to return his keys somewhere else. It could be another Woman/Mistress/ex-Girlfriend/current Female Boss/his Mother/his Aunt/any other Female-relative.

2.-) Convincing Her to allow releases for him. This option is very unlikely to happen, as it was the Woman the one who wanted to break up with him.

3.-) Waiting from four months for adolescents to six months for grown up males for the Department of Men until the temporary Keyholding permit expires. A waiting period that any male on Gynarchy must get used to when a break up with his Girlfriend/Mistress occurs.

Marriage.

Most heterosexual marriages in the patriarchy are Female dominated, although that domination is often subtle, unspoken, or otherwise framed to placate the male ego. In the Gynarchy, this very normal state will be institutionalized, openly acknowledged, and legally enshrined. Women in Female-male marriages are for the most part the full legal owners of their husbands, and enjoy a number of privileges in regards to their male property.

These ownership rights include a wide range of powers, such as power of attorney, full power over property and finances, medical procedures, body modification, dress and appearance, chastity belt key, right to orgasm control, right to discipline, right to use of body, right to unlimited sexual access, and right to enforce obedience.

Unlike options for breaking off a relationship with a Girlfriend, options for divorce instituted by a male are extremely limited if not null, though not entirely impossible. Essentially, marriage is a permanent ownership situation, unless one partner passes away, or the Woman institutes divorce. There is nothing in society requiring men or Women to get married, and thus marriage is simply a beautiful, total, and legal affirmation of the devotion of a man to a Woman, and of the dedicated mastery of a man by a Woman. Married men can expect to be as busy, controlled, and limited as their Wives choose, or don't choose, and obviously this is something they should have a good sense about what to expect before they enter into marriage.

Married Women can expect that they have full power to alter the nature of their life, relationship, and how time is spent, as they please, and in the state of marriage have even less concern about enforcing changes upon their male partners than they do when dating or in a committed relationship.

Every Woman is a Queen of Her relationship, and absolute Ruler in Her own home, and thus the vast majority of Women have a throne, a seat of any kind that is kept in the home as a symbol of their Rule. As Royalty, Wives can dictate as they please as much or as little rules of behavior in their presence and in their home upon their husbands. In essence a married man is an active extension of his Wife's life and person, and is expected to act as such accordingly to Her likes, personality, commands and wishes.

Yet another thing that would change under a Gynarchy is the patriarchal traditions of a man asking the father of his Girlfriend permission to marry Her and a father giving away the bride at the Wedding. These traditions harks back to the time when young Girls were considered the property and financial burden of their fathers and were handed off as such to their husbands. But even without those connotations, neither of these patriarchal traditions make sense in a in a Gynarchy society.

In the Gynarchy it will be the Mother/Female-guardian the one who will be asked by Her son’s Girlfriend/Mistress to marry Her son and the Mother/Female-guardian will be the one that will accept or deny a request of permission to marry him. The Gynarchic Weddings may vary but they will be the same from Gynarchy district to Gynarchy district, it will be Weddings where in most of the cases the Mother will pass Her son’s chastity keys to Her Daughter in law, aka Her son’s new Mistress Wife at some point during the Gynarchic Wedding ceremony.

Yet another patriarchal tradition that will end under a Gynarchy is the tradition of a Woman changing Her last name to the name of Her husband once they are married. Under Gynarchy, it would be common practice for both the Woman and the man to keep their given names, unless the Woman decides to change either Her last name or Her husband’s last name. Ultimately, it is the Woman’s decision whose name gets changed, if either name gets changed. Thus in the majority of cases, the Woman will require Her husband to take Her last name, because of the culture under Gynarchy. At some point in the coming Gynarchy, it will be totally normal for husbands to take upon their Wife’s names, as a part of the societal standards and it will be institutionalized and fully promoted by the Gynarchic State.

BLESSED BE THE GYNARCHIC GODDESS.

END OF PART I.

#Gynarchy #FemaleSupremacy #Gyneocracy #GynarchicLiterature #GynarchicWorld #FeministGovernance #Femocracy #PetticoatGovernment #GynarchicGoddess

[the-insomniac-emporium]

Slumbering Hearts (Alcina Dimitrescu/Reader, Soulmate AU) Pt. 2

Fandom: Resident Evil: Village Rating: T for language Warnings: None Summary: In a wicked twist of fate, you find out your soulmate is none other than your employer, Lady Dimitrescu. To your misery, she (at first) seems equally displeased, her heart already belonging to another. But in time, the two of you find yourselves wondering… could the universe be right, after all? Soulmate AU in which every person has a unique “soul mark”, which they share with their soulmate. Notes: Reader gets a bit of a backstory here, with just enough concrete details to serve the plot in future chapters. Hopefully enough is kept vague for people to enjoy it. Now... Time to meet your new kids-in-law/the gremlins :) Previous Chapters: 1: In The Shadow Of Giants

2: Uncertain Destinations

“You already know my name, as well as my fate, and I have neither threats nor demands to make of you. I am at your mercy, regrettably, with nothing more to say. Shall we consider ourselves ‘introduced’? Or is there more you wish to ask of me?” You wonder, eying ‘Alcina’ with a bored expression. It felt odd to refer to her that way, even within the confines of your mind. She had been ‘Lady Dimitrescu’ for as long as you could remember; starting with your years in the village, and continuing through your months here at the castle. One day, perhaps, you would grow used to calling her by her first name. For now, you simply hoped to focus on other matters.

“Tell me of yourself, your past. Who were you before you came here?” Alcina asks, surprising you. What did it matter, now that you were stuck here? At first you shrug, avoiding eye contact, not wanting to open yourself up to her. But before long she’s placed a hand on your shoulder, applying just enough pressure to encourage you to speak. You win this round, you think.

“Somehow I doubt you’ll find it terribly interesting. I was born in the outskirts of the village, on a small farm, just like any other. I had a pet dog, went to ‘school’ with my neighbors, and spent my weekends volunteering with the church. The only thing you might not expect is that I lived outside the village for about a decade. Traveled for a while, never really staying anywhere for terribly long. Eventually, I got tired, and so I came back to help my parents with what little property they had left,” you explain, quietly. Being vague had been intentional, considering the nature of a few details. Did she need to know why you had left? Or that you had once revered Mother Miranda?... No, because if she learned that, it would not be long before she learned that you had changed your mind years ago. Something told you that she wouldn’t appreciate your lack of faith in her mistress. “That was six months ago, roughly. Barely got to spend time with my parents before I was ‘donated’ to the staff here.”

“Not many ever leave the village. Those that do rarely, if ever, return. How particular,” Alcina replies, giving a soft hum. There’s something in her expression that tells you she’ll eventually ask you to elaborate. For now, however, she seems content to move on. Internally you sigh in relief. “I suppose this is sufficient to sate my curiosity, for the time being. Now come with me, I’d like to introduce you to my daughters, to ensure that they understand you are… off limits.” With that said she stands, once more reminding you just how small and fragile you are in comparison, before heading towards the exit. You’re nearly forced to jog in order to keep up with her long strides. As she leads you through hallways, down a flight of stairs, and past several nervous looking maidens, she slows down the slightest bit, having eventually noticed your struggle. Admittedly, that’s more kindness than you would have anticipated. Perhaps she was used to adjusting her pace for her daughters?

Whatever the reason, you do appreciate it. Still, by the time you arrive at your destination, the castle’s library, your legs are feeling the smallest bit sore. Brushing off the ache, you follow Alcina inside. Then you’re taking in the sights, having not been here before, admiring the impressive collection. Glad I’m not responsible for cleaning this place, you think as you pass by dozens of filled shelves. Before long you encounter the three daughters. They’re sitting in a semi-circle, each with their own book, though they’re quick to sit up once they spy their mother. One by one they’re smiling up at her, not even sparing you a moment’s glance. Admittedly you’re glad for that. What good could come from their attention, especially when they don’t yet know who you ‘truly’ are?

“I’m glad to see you’re all in one place, my darlings. There has been a… development, of sorts,” Alcina says, speaking in the same tone one might use to address a faculty meeting. In a less intimidating household, it would have been much harder to hold in a laugh. Was this always how she spoke to her children? For their sake, you hoped not (though the concept was amusing). Regardless, it is at this point that the daughters notice you, with one of them looking intrigued enough to send a shiver down your spine. You’re pretty sure her name is Daniela, being the only one you haven’t met before today. A toothy grin spreads on her lips, and once you make eye contact you swear that she winks at you. This literally could not be any worse, you think, unable to stop yourself from frowning.

“Does it have to do with this little thing?” Daniela purrs, taking a step towards you. Instantly both Alcina and yourself are tensing up. While your soulmate shifts in front of you, an incredibly faint rosy tint to her cheeks, all you can do is pinch the bridge of your nose between two fingers.

“This ‘little thing’ is not your newest playtoy, Daniela. Rather, they are my-” she hesitates, disliking the way the word feels in her mouth- “soulmate. I expect the three of you to behave, understood? At the very most, you are allowed to prevent them from leaving the premises, but even then I expect you to remain gentle. Have I made myself clear?” Alcina asks. Now she’s not the only one blushing, as Daniela looks so embarrassed that you wonder if she’ll pass out. Maybe now you’ll think twice about flirting with everyone you meet, you think, remembering the various rumors you’ve heard about her. For a moment, part of you imagines what your relationship with her would look like, were you to continue ‘courting’ her mother. Could this be a moment you could torment her with for life? Get some cheeky revenge for all the maidens who couldn’t risk it? A lovely thought, though one soon interrupted.

“Of course, mother. We will not lay a single finger on them, unless we have no other choice. Right, sisters?” Bela replies, turning to her siblings with an expectant look. Neither of them seem terribly pleased, but they nod, each giving their own verbal affirmations. All three spend a few moments glancing you over, reevaluating you now that they know who you are, appraising your worth. It’s not hard to imagine that they all find you lacking- at least in comparison to their mother. “Are introductions in order? We’ve met before, but I hardly know anything about them. It would be… nice to properly meet the newest edition to our family.” The way Bela says the words makes you nervous, and the way Cassandra grins only worsens the feeling.

“If you desire such, I see no reason to forgo such a thing. Perhaps the three of you could give them a tour? I must return to my duties, and I doubt they have seen much of the castle, given their… former occupation,” Alcina admits, softly. Was this a confirmation that you’d no longer have to spend every day working yourself to the bone? On one hand you were somewhat relieved, but you also regretted the possible loss of your preferred coping method. Worse, were you really going to spend who knows how long with the dreaded Dimitrescu daughters? They were going to rip you to shreds, at least verbally, you were sure of it. How could you ever meet their expectations? If they were anything like their mother, you would never be enough to satisfy them. Or at least that is what you assumed.

“I’ve seen a fair bit,” you interject, awkwardly, hating the way it brings everyone’s gaze back to you. Alcina’s lips twitch, as she fights back a frown. Evidently she didn’t appreciate you countering her suggestion.

“Please, we insist,” Bela fires back, a pleasant tone covering her thinly-veiled animosity. “I’m sure we’ll have a wonderful time getting to know each other. You do want to learn more about your soulmate’s children, don’t you?” Something about the way she speaks makes you want to laugh. When you smile back at her, it’s without a hint of any placating intentions, rather a dewdrop of mischief. Bold of her to assume that you wanted to make her mother happy. After all, it was clear from her phrasing that this was a ‘test’, a ruse to ‘reveal your true colors’ to Alcina. But you were as uneasy about your part in this as Bela was, neither of you finding yourself a suitable match for Alcina. Despite the way she narrows her eyes at you, her mother is smiling again, glad that she had a way to keep you occupied for the time being.

“It’s settled then,” she says, moving to give each of her daughters a kiss on top of their heads. They giggle at the affection, looking rather proud of themselves. Then she turns to you, hesitating, clearly having the instinct to give you a kiss as well. Half of you wants to stand on your tippy-toes, expectantly, wondering if she’d do it (and how flustered it would make her). Instead, you pretend not to notice, accepting the awkward shoulder pat she ends up giving you. “I will see you this evening, for dinner. Do try to enjoy yourself. But don’t forget-” she leans in until her mouth is right next to your ear, breath tickling your neck- “behave yourself. I will not tolerate any tomfoolery, understood?” Alcina does not pull away until you’ve nodded, and you do not relax until the library door has shut behind her.

Except now you’re alone with her daughters. Wonderful.

---------------------------

Dealing with finances was not, to put it simply, Alcina’s ‘favorite’ activity. Although she employed someone to handle the majority of the paperwork, she made sure to go over it herself to ensure accuracy. There were many aspects to her business, being both legitimate and illegitimate, technically. One could never be too careful about their records. After all, failing to file tax returns had taken down Al Capone, of all people. Who was to say that such a mistake, or one in a similar vein, could not damage House Dimitrescu? Certainly it wouldn’t be enough to ruin them entirely, but it could lead to certain ‘nuisances’ bothering the village. At the end of the day, Alcina cared more about the impact it would have on Mother Miranda than anything else, even the possible decline of her household.

A nasty habit, really. Few knew the extent of her self-entitled devotion to the cult leader. The only bond that ran deeper was that she had with her daughters, who meant more to her than she could ever vocalize. Even then, she viewed them as a gift from Miranda, which in turn strengthened her love for the woman. Now that love leaked into everything she did. With a flourish of her pen, she signed away some of this month’s earnings. So what if she already ‘donated’ a large portion of her income to the village and its leader? Certainly this was a way to show the level of her devotion? Certainly Miranda would take notice, eventually? Praise her for it? Take Alcina’s hand in her own, thumb caressing her skin, eyes filled with a long-sought affection?...

The sound of passing footsteps brings her back into the moment, and Alcina stares down at the mountain of paperwork she’d yet to approve. With a deep sigh she readjusts her reading glasses, sets the finished document aside, then gets back to work. A part of her mind soon starts to drift to other subjects. To you, primarily. Would your affection be easier to gain? Steadier?... But could it, in any way, compare to Miranda’s? No matter how she tries to brush the thoughts away, they nip at her heels, circling her head like vultures. Only time would give her the relief she so desperately sought.

---------------------------

“So, don’t tell me you really think you’re my mother’s soulmate, right?” Cassandra says, somewhat grumbling, as you trail behind Bela. It’s less than five minutes into the tour, with the siblings having behaved so far, focused on actually showing you around. At her words, both her sisters started walking slower. Their gazes were still locked ahead of themselves. The way they positioned themselves, however, made it clear that they were listening. “Is it some elaborate scheme, hmm? Did you spend a dozen hours with the other servants, noting every last detail about her soul mark, before copying it? Do you really think that you’ll get away with this?” Well, ‘twas good to know who the most paranoid of the three were.

“Ah, yes, it’s all a great, horrible ruse. You’ve caught me red-handed, I’m afraid,” you chime, sarcastically. A hand goes to your forehead as you fake faintness. “I’m just so desperate to be scrutinized by yourself and your mother, to have my every movement watched, to somehow be less free than I already was. I simply… cannot… believe… that you saw through my bluff.” With that you give a dramatic sigh, pausing in the hallway to give Cassandra a judgemental look. If not for Alcina’s instructions to keep you safe, you’re certain she would have beheaded you on the spot. “I’m not claiming to understand the universe’s decision. But I’m also not giving up immediately, no matter how much the three of you scare me.” At that, Bela stops in her tracks, slowly turning to you. Instinctively you go to take a step backwards, only for Cassandra to catch you, holding you in place. Next thing you know, the oldest daughter is grabbing your head, staring you right in the eyes.

“Answer one question, and maybe I’ll make sure you don’t fall victim to some tragic, unfortunate accident. Can you see yourself loving my mother?” Bela asks, more intense than you’ve ever seen her before. Despite that, you don’t tremble, swallowing your fear long enough to reply.

“Honestly? I don’t know. She’s terrifying… and beautiful. Cruel to some of the maidens I’ve met… and loving to you three. I… I don’t know if I can love her,” you admit, gulping. “But isn’t that part of the point of trying? To find out? I am going to try, for both my sake and hers, to love her. To cherish her. What more would you ask of me? I cannot tell you how the days to come will go, whether or not your mother will enjoy them, or even whether she could love me. This is not a situation you can threaten into resolving the way you want it to. So let me go, finish the tour, and give me a chance. You owe your mother that much, do you not?” Soon enough the hands keeping you in place loosen their grip, and Bela turns away with a scoff. Honestly, you can hardly believe that your little speech worked. You aren’t given much time to celebrate, however, as the sisters quickly resume their walking. Before long, Daniela is speaking up between giggles.

“I like this one already.”

#alcina dimitrescu x reader #lady dimitrescu x reader #alcina dimitrescu #lady dimitrescu #resident evil: village #re8 village #gremlin trio is protective #they're like #you're not cool enough for our mom #hey tumb please stop fucking up the order of my tags #this is the second time you've messed up my attempt at being funny

[blessednereid]

Dinners, Apologies, and Bowling Alleys: LFLLLL Pt.4

Series Masterlist

Masterlist

Taglist: @rogershoe @woodxweasley

Mentions: Police investigations, dead bodies, animal attacks, implied abuse, sexual implications, emancipation, cursing, half-naked massages, use of the word “Kinky”

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

                    Dinner

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

Your dad pulled into the driveway of the Lahey family residence.

When he opened the door and greeted you, his voice was sickly sweet, and you could tell that the dinner wasn't going to be pleasant.

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

"That was… something," your dad said as he opened the door to your house and allowed you and Isaac to walk inside.

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

 Within thirty minutes, the dinner soon turned passively hostile, and it seemed like there was no way out. 

"So, Sheriff Stilinsk-"

"Please, call me Noah." 

Mr. Lahey smiled sourly before continuing. "Your daughter and my son have been dating for quite a while now. Yet, this is the first time we meet." 

"Oh, well. The role of being a sheriff is very strenuous and time-consuming." 

The tension in the room could be cut with a knife, and you were anticipating the thing that would cause everything to blow up.

"I find it quite unfortunate that the circumstances we meet are due to my son being involved in a murder investigation."

You noticed how your dad looked confused for a second, but that look was soon wiped away. 

"Yes, well. Finding a dead body is something that would cause you to end up in that situation." 

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

"Alright, Kids. Go to bed."

You nodded before you walked up the stairs.

"Isaac, you…" Isaac waited for instruction from your dad. 

Noah sighed before speaking. "It's been a rough night. Just… No funny business."

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

Mr. Lahey continued speaking. "So, you've recently taken my son into your household, and now he's in a murder investigation."  

"There is no causation here. He could've as easily found a dead body that is part of a murder investigation under your household." 

Mr. Lahey squinted, and you realized the kindling was added to the flame.

"Are you questioning my parenting skills? Noah," He added resentfully. 

"Are you questioning mine?" 

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

"Isaac."

He let out a deep breath before turning to face you. 

"It's gonna be alright." 

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

"You know, I don't think it's okay for my child to be in your house anymore. He is legally in my custody, and him involved in anything involving the law comes back to me."

You and Isaac widened your eyes, and your dad made a brief glance at you and saw the panic in your eyes. 

"Well, maybe him being in my house is better. I can protect him in certain ways seeing as how I am the Sheriff. You own a graveyard. Your son finding a dead body could be a telltale sign that you may be trying to drum up business."

He paused. "Even if it's not true, of course."

"I mean, you are a cop. Are you not? Your job is to find the bodies, and not only did my son who is dating your daughter find the body, but it could also be a way to raise your own paycheck." Mr. Lahey chuckled as he spoke; his words were laced with venom. 

Your dad grinned, but it didn't reach his eyes. "It's not my job to find bodies, quite the opposite. And, I assure you, I would not kill someone for a paycheck."

Your dad wiped his mouth and rose from the table. 

"Mr. Lahey, I think it's time for us to go."

The burly man grimaced in response. "Alright, well- Isaac. Go to your room." 

"Oh no. I don't think you understand. I have to take Isaac in for a statement. He's coming with me." 

"I don't think you understand. He is my son. He's staying with me." 

While they continued their argument, you and Isaac slipped out the door and headed to the car. 

"Hey, babe… are you okay?"

He sighed. "No… I just want this to be over, Y/n." 

"It's just two more years, Isaac. And you're going to be with me most of that time."

"I can't do this anymore!" 

"What do you mean?" 

He looked at you with a solemn expression.

"I think I'm gonna run away." 

You widened your eyes and nearly choked. "What do you mean? You can't run away?"

"Y/n, I can't stay here where he's always able to do this!" 

"Then we'll figure something out! Just give me time. Till next Friday! I promise… Just… Just give me time." 

He saw the tears in your eyes and pulled you into his arms.

You gasped for air as you cried against his chest.

"Give me a week, and If I can't find something, I'll go with you-"

"N/n, I can't ask you to do that." 

"You're not asking me. I'm telling you."

He frowned. "You have a life here. Don't throw that away."

"What? And leave you to run away on your own? Possibly die? I couldn't do that. I couldn't live like that, not knowing where you are."

"I would tell you."

"Of course you couldn't," you frowned. "I'd be the first person the police ask after your dad and mine." 

"Besides, I wouldn't stay if I knew where you were anyway. I'd come to find you."

You wrapped your arms around Isaac's neck and pulled him in.

Just then, your dad opened the front door of the car, got in, and slammed it. 

"I'm so sorry you guys had to see me so mad."

"It's fine, Sheriff," Isaac smiled grimly.

"Isaac…"

"Noah, sorry…"

.•° ✿ °•.

°•. ✿ .•°

"It's gonna be alright." 

His eyes moved around the room, settling on the posters around your walls before saying, "I believe you."

"You do?"

"I do," he paused. "One week."

You half-smiled. "One week. But you have to promise me you won't leave me."

"I can't make that promise." 

You walked over to him and put his face in between your hands. 

"You are not leaving me." 

You pulled him towards the bed towards the back of the room, and you fell asleep in each other's arms. 

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

                    School

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

On Monday, you approached Lydia before class. You had a cold chill in your spine, and your apprehension was tying a knot around your lungs.

"Look. I was a horrible friend. I said stupid things. I shouldn't have said that about you and Jackson. You're not a 'suckup barbie doll.' You're Lydia Martin, and you've been doing this relationship stuff for way longer than I have. And I'm sorry I was so butthurt that I let my relationship get in the way of us, something you've never done."

By the time you finished speaking, you were slightly out of breath. You had said everything in one breath so that Lydia couldn't interject. 

"No, Y/n, I'm sorry. This is your first time in a relationship, and I- I should've been more supportive. I should be helping you with your relationship and instead…" As you anticipated her following words, her gaze softened. There was a tint of remorse that could be seen.

"I've been trying to dissuade you from it. You deserve love… so much. I just missed my best friend."

"Can we like… never let guys get between us again?" 

Lydia grinned before embracing you in a tight hug.

"Lydia, I can't breathe!" You managed to stammer out those few words before Lydia suffocated you. 

"Oh! Sorry."

You both walked into your English class while still being engrossed in conversation. 

"You hear about Grace Cooper?" 

"Ugh, that shark! No, and I don't really care."

"She got mumps from one of her conquests in another school."

Your eyes widened. "Poor, poor, Gracie!" you said satirically.

You saw Isaac down the hall and beckoned him over.

When he reached you, he had a confused look on his face. 

"Isaac, Lydia. Lydia, Isaac."

He squinted with a slight smile but stuck out his hand nonetheless.

"I'm sorry we got off on the wrong foot, Isaac. My friend here really seems to like you. So if she can forgive you, then I guess so can I."

He smiled. "I'm glad to hear that, Lydia. I've heard such great things about you."

You smiled and clapped your hands rapidly. "Yay, my friends are friends. Now, let's try and get Stiles onboard."

Lydia squinted and cocked her head. "Who?"

You sighed. "Woosah. My brother, Lydi."

"Oh yeah! Forgot you were a twin."

Isaac interrupted. "Babe, we're going two different ways. I gotta get to class."

"Okay, but you're sitting with us at lunch, yeah?" 

He turned his chin up in thought and bounced on the balls of his feet before leaning over and pecking your lips. "Of course."

You grinned before he turned and went to his class.

"Aww. Okay! Time to get to AP chem."

When you both walked into the class, it was only mere seconds before the bell rang.

You sat in your seats, staring eagerly at the board because your teacher had not yet arrived. 

When the door swung open once more, it revealed the face of Mrs. Goldblatt. 

"Oh my god," Lydia whispered, but it was clearly loud enough for everyone else to hear.

"Hello to you too, Lydia."

"Hello, class," she continued. "Mr. Ochoa isn't here today, so I will be your sub."

"Now, pull out your textbooks and-" She was interrupted. 

"Hey, something's going down at the bus!" A student yelled, causing everyone to rush to the windows. 

"EVERYONE IN YOUR SEATS!"

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

                   Lunch

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

After the first period, you went to English with Allison, Scott, and Stiles, splitting up with Lydia. 

However, You and Allison caught up with her at lunch in the line. 

"Hey!" You both greeted.

"Hey!" 

Soon Isaac and Jackson approached you. They walked together, but separately. 

"Hey, babe," Lydia said to Jackson. 

"Hi, love," you greeted Isaac. He gave you a side hug with his free arm and allowed it to stay there. 

Lydia and Jackson walked away from you and Isaac and towards the window, away from your regular table.

"Lydia, where are we going?" 

"To sit with Allison's boyfriend, duh!" She said with a shimmy of her shoulders.

Allison quickly rolled her eyes. "He's not my boyfriend!" 

You interjected. "That's not what I heard!" 

"From who?" 

"Your brain, we're connected. Remember?" 

It was a long-lasting joke that you had since you were children. You had always been able to read Allison's mind in a way and tell what she was feeling, as well as vice versa. It would be a terrible day when that bond stopped working. You were sure of it. 

She chuckled as you all walked towards Scott and Stiles. Some of Jackson's friends already sat down.

"Figure out what?" you hear Lydia say before you sat down next to your brother, in between him and Isaac.

"Just, uh homework-" Scott replied tentatively.

"Hey, guys!"

"Yeah… Y/n, why are you guys sitting here?" His question was soon answered when Allison sat down next to Scott.

Jackson began arguing with his friend about the seat at the head of the table, and Danny made a sarcastic remark about how the guy looked at Lydia.

"So I hear they're saying it's some type of animal attack… Probably a cougar," Danny stated.

"I heard mountain lion."

Lydia squinted. "A cougar is a mountain lion. Isn't it?" She said before tilting her head. 

You internally scoffed but didn't say anything.

"Who cares? The guy's probably some homeless tweaker who's gonna die anyway."

"Sorry that not everyone can be as rich and entitled as you, Whitmore," you whispered under your breath. Jackson and Lydia hadn't heard, but Danny, Stiles, Allison, and Isaac did, giving a brief chuckle. 

Stiles took out his phone and showed the table a video. "Actually, I just found out who it is. Check it out."

Scott's eyes widened. "I know this guy."

"You do?" Allison asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, when I used to take the bus back when I lived with my dad," he said in shock. "He was the driver."

Lydia interjected the gruesome conversation. "Can we talk about something slightly more fun, please? Oh, like, where are we going tomorrow night? You said that you and Scott were going somewhere tomorrow night, right?"

"Lydia!" you scolded. 

"Uh, we were thinking of what we were gonna do," Allison said softly. 

"Well, I am not sitting home again watching lacrosse videos. So if the four of us- six, if Y/n and Isaac want to come, are hanging out, we are doing something fun!" 

You glanced at Allison, who met your gaze and turned to Scott.

"Hanging out… like the four of us? Do you want to hang out? Like us, and them?" Scott asked confusedly.

"Yeah, I guess. Sounds fun." 

You rolled your eyes and sighed softly. 

"You know what else sounds fun?" Jackson asked, annoyed. "Stabbing myself in the face with this fork. 

"What about bowling? You love to bowl?" Lydia proposed.

"Yeah, with actual competition."

You frowned. "I, too, would love to bowl with actual competition, Whitmore."

He glared at you before Allison spoke up. 

"Yeah, how do you know we aren't actual competition?" She turned to Scott. "You can bowl, right?"

Isaac spoke up for the first time. "Well, I know for a fact that Y/n and I are competition."

You grinned at his competitive nature. Under his shy mask was someone who did not like to lose. 

"Scott?" Jackson called.

"Yes. Sort of…" he said warily. 

"Is it sort of, or is it yes?"

"Yes! In fact, I'm a great bowler," Scott lied, and you facepalmed internally. You had seen him bowl, and he was, in fact, terrible.

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

              Stilinski House

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

"Are we actually going bowling tomorrow?" 

You squinted. "Yeah? Why wouldn't we?"

"Babe, I have work tomorrow?" 

"I thought you got off early tomorrow?"

He sighed. "I do. I get off at 8, but I don't want you to wait for me, and I won't be ready-" He continued rambling before you walked up and covered his mouth with your hand. 

"You get off work and come back here. Take 30 minutes to get ready, and then we leave so we can reach the alley by 9:30."  

He pushed your wrist down. "N/n, I'm just going to be groggy, and dampen the mood, and-"

"Isaac Kai Lahey! You are allowed to have fun. Besides, I have to go pick outfits with Lydia and Allison after class anyway, and that'll keep us busy."

He contemplated your plan before reluctantly sighing. "Fine. But I have to be back by midnight. I want to sleep peacefully." 

You stepped on the tips of your toes to kiss his cheek. 

"Are you sure you want to sleep, though?" you asked innocently, but there was a hidden meaning behind your words. 

"Yes! I want to sleep... I haven't really been getting a good night lately."

You furrowed your eyebrows. "Why didn't you tell me?" 

He quickly changed the subject. "Speaking of things we haven't told each other… Scott? Werewolf? I'm sorry, but I still don't believe you." 

You sighed. "I was kind of refraining from telling you about that?"

"Hey, If werewolves are real, I want to see them."

"I know, but you just have so much on your plate. I didn't want to add shape-shifting humans with strange abilities to that."

He smiled. "Hey, prove me wrong about that werewolf thing, and I'll give you twenty bucks."

"Deal! Speaking of deals..."

You moved to sit on the bed. "I've been working on getting you out of your dad's house. You said you didn't want to go into foster care, so the only way to prevent that from happening is for you to be an adult."

"An adult? How is that even possible, Y/n? I'm still a minor for 2 more years." 

You looked at him hesitantly. "There's this legal thing called emancipation. It's where you can be declared, legally, an adult and be separate from your parent's care." 

He smiled before scoffing. "How would we even do that?" 

"Well, we can either prove to the courts that you can provide for yourself with housing and finances… or you can get married."

He stood up very quickly, to the point where you almost got whiplash. "Married? Y/n, I'm not getting married to a stranger, and we both know your dad would never agree to that." 

"Then we go to the courts! You can say that you're renting a room from my dad for however much he agrees for the housing portion, and you have a job!"

"A job my dad gave me! The point is to not rely on my dad!"

You smiled. "That's the beauty of the law. Your dad's business is independent of him. So you can still work for him, but you would be earning your money from the business, not him."

"And if he fires me because I filed for emancipation?" 

 "You have perfect employee references. You worked at Waffle House for six months before they shut down and got employee of the month twice." 

He flopped down on the bed, and you moved to wrap your arms around him.

"How long would it take?" He asked quietly. 

"A few months… Less than the two years we would've waited, and you wouldn't have to run away." 

"Would I have to tell my dad?" 

"Yeah, he'd have to be able to represent his side in court," you replied solemnly. 

"Don't I need a reason? What would I even say? I don't want him to go to jail." 

"I have no-" you said before an idea dinged like a lightbulb in your mind. "You said you have that inheritance you get from your grandparents that you'll be able to collect once you become a legal adult, right?"

"Yeaaah?" 

"Just say that you want to be able to use that inheritance."

"No, that would never work…" he said wistfully.

You both pondered in thought for a while.

"You could say that you are financially independent and want to start on making investments and stuff like that before you're 18." 

You looked up to him and saw him squinting. "Huh, that could work."

"So, does that mean you won't run away?"

"That's if it works...If it doesn't work and I stay, it could be worse." 

You sighed. "It's going to work…If not, I- It's going to work."

He turned on his side to face you, and you did the same. 

"Kiss me?" And that is, exactly, what Isaac did. 

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

               Argent House

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

The next day after school, you and Isaac went your separate ways. He went to work, and you grabbed several different outfits before heading to Allison's house. 

When you arrived, you were ushered and practically dragged inside by Allison, who desperately needed help with her outfit. 

You found Lydia already inside, sifting through Allison's entire closet and rejecting each prospect.

"Lydia, this isn't the bachelorette! Oh my gosh."

You sat back on Allison's bed and allowed Lydia, who wouldn't let you help, pick Allison's outfit. 

Many passes were given by Lydia. "Allison, respect for your taste is, uh, dwindling by the second." 

You scoffed. "Okay, how about we let the person who makes displays at Forever 21 pick the outfit?"

You got up and put together three choices for selection. 

"This!" Lydia said before your "Uncle" Chris walked in.

"Dad, hello?" Allison said.

"Hi, Uncle Chris!" You waved enthusiastically. 

"Hey, Y/n. Nice to see you."

Lydia flew back onto Allison's bed and laid on her side with her hand on her hip. "Hi, Mr. Argent," she said sultrily. 

"Lydia!' You scolded, and Mr. Argent flinched. 

Allison sneered, "Dad, do you need something?"

He cleared his throat. "I wanted to let you know you'll be staying in tonight."

You and Lydia frowned, and Allison scoffed. "What? I'm going out with my friends tonight."

"Not when some animal is out there attacking people."

You and Allison protested in unison. 

"It's out of my hands. There's a curfew. No one's allowed out past 9:30 p.m. No more arguing," He said simply before walking out the room."

You and Allison both sighed, resolved. 

"Someone's daddy's little girl," Lydia remarked. 

"Sometimes, but not tonight," Allison replied. 

"Y/n, what about you? Your dad would kill you!"

"He would, but he wouldn't let the law handle me," you smirked. 

You texted Isaac about the new plan and changed into your outfit. When Isaac told you that he'd meet you at the alley, you nodded to Allison, and you both walked to the window. 

She went first and then you before Lydia called after you both.

"What are you doing?"

You dropped your bag and your phone onto the dirt before Allison flipped off the building and landed on her feet while you did a somersault as you landed. 

"8 years of gymnastics!" 

You grinned, "She just taught me some tricks."

"You coming?" You both said in unison.

"I'll take the stairs."

You brushed off your outfit as you waited outside for Lydia. 

You both entered her car and drove to the rink. 

You called Isaac to make sure that he was coming. "Hey, babe. Have you made it to the house yet?"

"Yeah, I'm on my way. Don't worry." 

"Okay, we just left Allison's house." 

"How far are you?" He asked. 

"About 15 minutes?" 

"Alright, I'm 10." 

You smiled before saying goodbye.

When you hung up the phone, Lydia hummed. 

"What, Lyds?" 

She smirked. "Nothing, just that you guys are good together." 

You half scoffed, half chuckled. "It took you three months to realize that?"

"I was still a little focused on him hurting you, but if that didn't happen, I would've always thought so."

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

               Bowling Alley

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

You all met Scott, Isaac, and Jackson at the bowling alley. 

Allison and Scott went to pick their balls, and the rest of you sat down. 

"Hey, how was work?"

Isaac sighed. "Dad wasn't there. I don't know why."  

"Well, that's not a bad thing."

"True," he shrugged. "Thanks for forcing me to come out here tonight. I didn't realize how stressed work was making me until I walked inside." 

"Yeah, well, I like bowling, and I wasn't going to be a fifth wheel."

He smiled. 

"And, I have the perfect remedy for your sleeping issues, okay? So don't even worry about that tonight." 

"What is it?" 

You got up to whisper in his ear, "it's a surprise!" You turned away to go get a bowling ball, eventually picking a pink and white marbled one. 

When everyone had their balls, you arranged how the teams would work. 

"Okay, so how about we start couples vs. couples vs. couples and then gals vs. guys?" You nominated. 

"Sounds good, except we can only have two teams," Lydia pointed out the flaw in the couple war. 

"Oh, okay, uh. Give me a minute," You said before pulling Isaac aside. 

"Are we gonna be the ones to split up?" 

He squinted. "Why would we do that?"

"C'mon, baby. This could be a way for you to branch out without me next to you."

"What is that supposed to-"

"Besides," you smirked. "Imagine what tension that all that competition between us is gonna make!"

He hummed while twisting a strand of your hair in his hands. You lifted your head in an attempt to brush your lips against his, but he pulled back. 

"Fine. I'll go with Allison and Scott. I wanna see if I can spot any were-wolfiness," he chuckled.

"I'm not joking about that, okay! And don't tell anyone." 

You both walked back to the group and informed them of the decision. 

"Alright, Isaac is going to be on McArgents team, so now it will be McL'Argent, and I will be on Whittin's team, so it will now be Whittinski." 

"Yeah, yeah, hurry up," Jackson scolded. 

"Whittmore, be lucky I'm on your team. Otherwise, I'd be kicking your ass."

The competition started, and Lydia went first, with Jackson guiding her arm mixed with plentiful amounts of PDA.

The first one landed in the gutter, and the second hit only the right-most three. 

"I'm so bad at this," she said solemnly. 

"Lydi, you'll get the hang of it."

Allison took her turn next, hitting all of the pins and knocking them down. 

"YES, ALLI!" you whooped. 

"Someone brought their A-game," Lydia said.

Jackson scoffed. "Wrong team."

"She's my godsister. I'm obligated to tell her she did brilliantly."

Jackson took his turn next, removing all the pins from the lane and knocking them into the abyss, causing Lydia to holler.

"You're up, McCall," he stated blankly after wrapping his arms around Lydia.

"You can do it, Scott," Allison motivated Scott, and he got up and grabbed his ball.

He stalled for a few seconds before pulling his arms back and throwing the ball, the trajectory causing it to land straight in the gutter.

Jackson started laughing hysterically, and you and Allison both scolded him.

"Mind shutting up?" Allison sneered.'

"I'm sorry," he half-apologized in between breaths. "I'm just flashing back to the words 'I'm a great bowler'" 

"Maybe he just needs a little warm-up."

Jackson continued to laugh. "Maybe he just needs the kiddy bumpers," he said, which caused Lydia to laugh with him.

"Will you shut up for five fucking seconds, Jackson?"  

"Just aim for the middle," Allison advised. 

Jackson rolled his eyes, "How about you aim for anything except the gutter?" 

"Let him concentrate!" 

Allison smiled at Scott, and he took his next shot. It was getting closer and closer to the pins before swerving to the side and falling in the gutter.

"Great job, McCall. Man, you are a pro!" He said when he was done laughing.

You shot up from your seat, grabbed the ball, and took a deep breath. You moved your arm back just a little bit behind you when a groan resounded from behind you. 

You turned around quickly and saw Isaac. 

"OH MY GOSH! Why would you come up behind me?"

He chuckled. "No apologies, just beratement?" 

"I'm sorry, better? Are you okay?" You picked up his arm and examined it. 

"Hurry Up!"

He gave a curt nod to let you know he was okay, and you turned back to the alley. 

He wrapped his hands around your waist. "You look stressed, babe. What's wrong?"

Your cheeks flushed. "Isaac, what are you doing?" 

"Helping you out…" you could hear the smirk in his voice.

"Mhm," you resounded. "I don't want your help!" 

You playfully nudged him and regained your concentration. You pulled back your arms and threw the ball. It rolled and rolled until it came in contact with the pins, managing to knock down all but two.

"YES!" Lydia shouted, and Jackson gave a half-hearted clap and a 'not bad.'

You all continued playing, with Scott getting better towards the end. While your team lost the first game, the girls' team had won against the boys. 

After that, you all parted ways. When you and Isaac walked outside, he said something that stunned you. 

"Did you call Stiles?" he asked innocently.

"What do you mean 'did I call Stiles?' Where's the jeep?"

He grinned shyly. "I didn't bring the jeep. I took an Uber." 

"ISAAC!"

"WHAT? Stiles wouldn't take me!" 

Your eyes widened. "And you think he would pick us up?" 

"Well, sure. Stiles wouldn't let his sister freeze."

You growled before calling Stiles. 

It took him twenty minutes to reach the bowling alley, and when you got in the car, he began to scold you for your ill-preparedness. 

╔═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╗

           Massage Therapy

╚═══*.·:·.☽✧ ✦ ✧☾.·:·.*═══╝

You got home and into your room straight away. 

From there, you peeled Isaac's jacket off before he had the chance to do it himself and then removed yours, tossing both to the ground. 

"Are you ready for your surprise?" You asked with wriggling eyebrows. 

He chuckled darkly. "Sure."

You bit your lip and pushed him down on the bed. "Stay there!" You said before moving to get something. 

"Despite you and your brother's running joke, I am not a golden retriever!" He called out as you rummaged around. 

"Got it!" You said as you moved to place the blindfold over his eyes. 

"Kinky… I thought we weren't doing that tonight, though?" 

You smiled. "Nope! Turn around!" 

He sighed and turned to face your headboard as you tore his shirt from his torso. 

To let him know that you weren't planning on having sex, you began digging your thumbs into his muscles, finding the knots in his back rather quickly. 

He groaned in relief, which only spurred you on. 

"Your pants too, babe," you advised while still rubbing. 

When his pants were off, you pushed him down onto the pillow, backside up, and applied the heating oil on his back and thighs. 

You moved around his body slowly and sensually, making sure not to apply too much pressure to sensitive areas while still being effective. 

When you were finished after maybe fifteen minutes, you removed the blindfold from his eyes to let him know you were done. 

You stripped down to your bra and underwear before going to lay beside Isaac. 

"That was so nice…I don't know what I did to deserve you."

You sighed contently. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself."

"Ouch," Isaac mocked. "Goodnight, love."

"Goodnight."

Just as you were about to fall asleep, Isaac exclaimed. 

"OH! I just remembered- I didn't see any werewolf nature in Scott..."

You sighed. "Is this why you haven't been sleeping?"

"No, but I'm interested." 

"Look," you paused. "I only relayed the information Stiles gave me, I haven't seen it for myself either, but I want you to be safe. I trust Stiles, and I need you to trust me so that this can work and we can get you out of there. Okay?"

"Yeah, of course, I trust you. Goodnight, for real this time."

You smiled. "Goodnight." You fell asleep shortly after, a warm, tingly feeling of happiness spreading throughout your body.

*

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[dwellordream]

“…War often necessitated the absence of men from their families and their homes. While we have already touched on the fact that women could exercise military leadership during such an absence, the importance of their domestic role in the context of the husbands’ or sons’ military activities is worth considering, even if the women themselves were not all directly involved in military activity. For, in their men-folk’s absence, women sometimes assumed full control over the governance of the household or estate, along with all the lands which came with it – a role which took on an added significance amongst marriages of the more powerful nobles of Western Europe whose landholdings often entailed extensive seigniorial rights.

Stephen of Blois, for instance, alluded to the power that his wife Adela had whilst he was absent on the First Crusade when he wrote that ‘I send [the wish] that you do well and dispose of your things superbly, and treat your sons and your men honorably, as befits you’. This statement reveals the lordly authority which Adela maintained as regent while Stephen was absent and which she was to retain after his early death in May 1102 – right up until she took the veil as a nun in 1120. The military authority she wielded as lord is demonstrated by the fact that she once sent a large number of knights to support her lord Louis VI (c.1081-1137) while he was fighting rebellious castellans north of Paris in 1101.

But Adela was not the only women whose regency resulted from the call to crusade: when Louis IX went on crusade he entrusted the governance of the French kingdom to his mother, Blanche of Castile, who had proven herself a reliable and effective ruler during his minority. Eleanor of Aquitaine (1122-1204), queen of France and later England, similarly acted as regent in England for her son Richard I while he went on crusade, and was involved in mediating ecclesiastical disputes in his absence as well as in matters of governance. Likewise, Clementia of Burgundy, wife of Robert II of Flanders, held his county while he was left on the First Crusade, much like Eremburge of Maine governed the county of Anjou during her husband’s absence on crusade in 1120.

In the Holy Land the wife of Joscelin the Younger, count of Edessa (d. 1159), governed the county ably after he had been taken prisoner in 1150 – ‘far beyond the strength of a woman’, according to William of Tyre. His remark hints at the way in which medieval women who did govern well were thought by their male contemporaries to have transcended the ‘weakness’ of their sex, much like other comments regarding militant women referred to their masculine qualities in order to explain their involvement. Regardless of how well they governed, though, the key point is that it was war that forced these women to assume governing roles at home in support of their husbands or sons.

Women were also sometimes entrusted with the administration and coordination of affairs in preparation for war. Thus in 1267 the earl of Pembroke wrote to his wife, who had command over the castle of Winchester, informing her that he had sent men to help her defend the castle from attack and instructing her that she had ‘power over them all...to ordain and arrange in all things according to that which you shall see to be best to do’. More striking is a letter sent by Edward III in 1335 to three women: Margaret, widow of Edmund, earl of Kent; Marie, wife of Aymer de Valence, earl of Pembroke; and Joan, wife of one Thomas Botetourt.

In this letter Edward, who was absent fighting in Scotland, commanded these women to gather trusted advisors together in London to ‘treat and ordain on the safe custody and secure defence of our realm and people, and on resisting and driving out the foreigners’ who Edward had heard were massing warships and men at sea. The women were then ordered to ‘arm and array your people...to repel powerfully and courageously the presumptuous boldness and malice of our same enemies...if those enemies invade’. Although we do not know the extent to which these women were successful in carrying out the king’s orders, Edward nevertheless showed remarkable faith in the capacity of these women to prepare for the defence of the realm in his absence – certainly no small task.

Another particularly important arena in which women could directly aid the military effort was through their efforts to help finance and raise money for wars within Western Europe and the Holy Land. Funding for military campaigns was raised in many different ways – taxation, general donations, mortgaging or selling property – and women formed an important part of this process, especially when it came to paying for costly crusades to the East. We have already seen how Pope Innocent III, at the turn of the thirteenth century, began to make greater allowances for women to accompany their husbands on crusade or take a crusade vow if they were able to take armed followers with them to the Holy Land, but what really freed up this process was the promulgation of Innocent III’s decretal Quia maior in April 1213 (which pronounced the Fifth Crusade).

Quia maior stipulated regular liturgical processions of men and women, during which the participants would hear sermons, receive some degree of remission of sins just for listening (according to an earlier letter of Innocent), and pray for God to deliver the Holy Land. Furthermore, it promoted greater financial participation by making it possible for women to finance male warriors to go in their place and also specified monthly Church collections to which men and women could contribute. Perhaps most importantly, Quia maior decreed that anyone of either sex who so chose could take a crusade vow and might redeem or commute it if necessary (in return for a monetary payment), thus widening the number of people who might contribute financially to the crusade movement.

Later papal policy expanded this practise by enforcing the payment of vow redemptions if crucesignati (the legal term used to signify someone who had taken a vow) did not leave on crusade. As far as women are concerned there seems to be not enough evidence to gauge how much they actually contributed to the overall amount of money collected from redemptions, or even how much was collected in the first place. Nevertheless, Innocent’s reforms certainly allowed women to take on a greater financial and spiritual role in supporting the crusades, even if their circumstances prevented them from going on crusade in person.

Vow redemptions were, however, only one means by which women could provide monetary assistance. Often more financially taxing were instances in which women were forced to sell their husbands’ property or mortgage dower lands, which left some destitute and others fighting in the courts for their property rights, as Christopher Tyerman has explored in the case of English women. At other times, women helped contribute funds collectively, especially in the case of poorer crusaders who had to rely more on donations from the whole family, in which case the selling and mortgaging of property was again the most common way of financing a family member for war.

Similarly, women who had control over a significant source of income could play a key role in helping finance men on crusade: Hodgson, for instance, cites the examples of Marie of Champagne and Blanche of Castile, both of whom acted as regents and sent money to their sons while they were crusading in the Holy Land, but has also noted other women whose large dower was a key financial source for crusade expeditions. Another more indirect means by which women could assist the continuing military struggle in the Holy Land came from the revenues of female convents associated with the recently founded military orders, of which part went towards financing the latter’s activities in the East (although these payments were not large and varied from one house to another depending on each convent’s financial means).

Finally, we cannot discount the role female taxpayers may have had in helping pay for war, although again it is very difficult to discern how much women contributed in this regard, since the head of the household (the eldest male) was the one who paid taxes and who thus appeared in tax records. The only women to appear were those active in an independent trade of their own or who were widowed and lived in a house in which no male heirs were also residing, though such women only seem to have made up a small proportion of taxpayers.

Thus, even if most or all tax revenue before the sixteenth century went towards financing war, as has been argued in the case of England, the percentage of the revenue that came directly from female taxpayers would have been much less than that of male taxpayers (though both sexes were adversely affected by the effects of high taxation in times of war). Considering all of the means by which women could contribute financially, therefore, it is reasonable to assume that Western European women were a substantial source of finances for military campaigns, especially for the crusades, although the precise extent to which this assistance actually contributed towards the success of these campaigns is hard to quantify.

Women’s enthusiasm for war and their recruitment efforts formed another facet of their home front involvement. This is one area where women may not have always acted in support of their men, and instead actively tried to discourage their men from leaving, hence the actions of such women are worth exploring as they could have influenced the number of men who went to war. The chances of women successfully preventing men’s involvement in warfare appear highest in the case of the crusades because, although wives’ emotional responses to their husbands’ departure could not prevent the latter from leaving, canon law stipulated both husband and wife required each other’s consent before leaving to go on crusade.

Thus women were, for a period, legally able to veto their husbands’ decision to participate. To what extent women were successful at doing so is not entirely clear – some of those who preached the crusade appear to have felt women were among the ones preventing the crusades from being successful, although after Pope Innocent III issued his decretal Ex multa in 1201, which removed the requirement for men to obtain their wives consent before leaving, they would have had little cause for further concern. These developments suggest that some women, at least up until 1201, were successful in stopping men from leaving, but it is hard to say for certain.

Emotional distress at the departure of loved ones on crusade may have played a role though: Odo of Deuil noted that there were tears on the part of women when the Second Crusade departed, as did Ambroise before the Third Crusade. Some years earlier Fulcher of Chartres elaborated at greater length on the sorrow before the First Crusade: ‘Oh what grief there was! What sighs, what weeping, what lamentation among friends when husband left his wife so dear to him, his children, his possessions however great...Then husband told wife the time he expected to return...He commended her to the Lord, kissed her lingeringly, and promised her as she wept that he would return.’

Departure scenes such as this one, it has been argued, were deliberately used by chroniclers to portray the crusades as a male affair in which women were not expected to participate. Certainly, such an account does reinforce conventional gender stereotypes: the emotionally controlled, pious husband, and the overwhelmed, irrational wife unable to maintain her composure. Nevertheless, it is not unreasonable to assume that some women would have been reluctant for their men to depart and upset if the latter eventually did, although we cannot know the extent of their influence on limiting the numbers of men on crusade.

At the same time, medieval women also seem to have encouraged and even recruited men for war. Thus the author of the Itinerarium Peregrinorum asserted that ‘Brides urged their husbands and mothers incited their sons to go, their only sorrow being that they were not able to set out with them because of the weakness of their sex’. Although gender stereotyping is again evident in the way women’s ‘weakness of sex’ is said to have prevented them from leaving, there are some actual examples of women who tried to persuade men to fight. Adela of Blois, for instance, is well-known for her efforts to persuade her husband Stephen to return to the Holy Land after he deserted and came home during the difficult siege of Antioch in 1098.

Similarly, Alice de Montfort was active in recruiting men, notably her brother (the Constable of France) during the Albigensian crusade, as was, supposedly, Eleanor of Aquitaine before the Second Crusade. Riley-Smith, too, has also discussed women, notably the Montlhéry sisters in the Île-de-France, whom he feels ‘transmitted an enthusiasm for crusading to the families into which they married’ and which can help ‘account for the concentrations of crusaders in certain kindred’ during the early crusades. Of course, whilst the genealogical preponderance of crusaders in certain families does not prove for certain that women necessarily had anything to do with recruiting or persuading men to fight, the examples given above do suggest that we should not discount their possible influence.

Lastly, it is also worth considering the role which urban women active in certain trades had in supplying various resources used in military affairs. For although most women were active in the textile and cloth-making industries during the Middle Ages, there were apparently some who worked sharpening tools and making scabbards for swords and knives, and others who even trained in arms manufacture (making chain mail and fletching strings to bows) – definitely a trade that would have thrived on war. Admittedly, the numbers of women engaged in such crafts were very few and their likely effect on military affairs slight. Accordingly, we should not make too much of their employment or we risk over-emphasising their contribution. All the same, they do at least serve to draw attention to other more indirect means by which women on the ‘home front’ may have supported the whole industry of war by supplying military goods and services.

- James Michael Illston, ‘An Entirely Masculine Activity’? Women and War in the High and Late Middle Ages Reconsidered

#james michael illston #military #crusades #history #high middle ages #late middle ages #noblewomen #medieval

[shijiujun]

Hope everyone is partying (by yourself, spiritually, or with people, all are totally fine) well into the Christmas weekend! I am back with even more recs (I’ll prolly give it a rest at the 10th one sorry for the spam guys)! This one I just finished a few days ago, because CHINA BOOKSTORE PUBLISHED THIS ON CHRISTMAS WITH MANY GOODIES!! And I was like oh cute long-hair dude, let me read this.

Anyway this is a fengshui + supernatural + body-switching type of novel, with a heavy focus on fengshui! I don’t know if everyone knows what fengshui is (I will prolly do a list for Chinese New Year) and I am no expert, but it’s basically like Chinese geomancy where you can calculate a person’s fate, wealth, marriage suitability etc. with things in an individual’s environment. 

So a lot of Chinese people, for example businessmen when they have new offices or when couples renovate their homes, they may get a feng shui master to arrange furniture and add crystals or talismans or whatever to increase wealth/prosperity/happiness or harmonize bad energy etc., just an example. When you want to check the compatibility of yourself and your SO, some people do go to the fengshui master and calculate their 八字 (day, hour, time they were born + other things) to see when is an auspicious day to marry etc. 

My ex-editor really believes in feng shui masters because hers really predicted a year that her husband got into hugeee trouble like almost to the day itself apparently. And she always wear an accessory with a snake on it because the master said

Written by the same author (Xi Zi Xu) who wrote Kaleidoscope of Death!

- Part of Min’s ‘Why You Should Read’ Series -

Summary:

This book is set in the normal, regular, law-abiding modern city world where fengshui is heavily believed in, and skilled masters can see spirits, bad energies. Where dogs can be reincarnated as humans, and there are demonic pets that humans can keep, and paper dolls can come to life basically.

Zhou Jia Yu is a government office worker who dies in a car accident one day, and wakes up in the body of another Zhou Jia Yu - a handsome man whose name is the same as his. He’s brought back by this spirit bird in his head called Ji Ba (pun not intended), who says that Zhou Jia Yu is fated to save Lin Zhu Shui, the young, blind fengshui master who has caught him.

Unfortunately, this second Zhou Jia Yu is a con-artist who has cheated the money of several families via fraudulent fengshui schemes, and his scams have led to the death of several children in the process. Legendary fengshui master Lin Zhu Shui and his disciples have caught/imprisoned this Zhou Jia Yu, not knowing that original conman Zhou Jia Yu has died (and therefore his soul is gone), leaving good citizen Zhou Jia Yu in the body of a conman.

Lin Zhu Shui intends to kill conman Zhou Jia Yu (not really kill, kill but probably will do something to his soul, considering there are laws against murder you know) when good citizen Zhou Jia Yu wakes up in this body, but because he has come back from the dead, his body and soul is considered an extremely yin (cold) body, which allows him to attract more bad spirits and energy, giving him an extraordinary, gifted ability to excel in the fengshui line. Of course, being the master that he is, Lin Zhu Shui also realizes that this Zhou Jia Yu (and his soul, in particular) is not the one he caught, and as he has an extremely yang (hot) body, the both of them are compatible with each other. Lin Zhuo Shui realizes that he can train Zho Jia Yu and then takes him on as his disciple.

Cue Zhou Jia Yu being tossed into a dangerous fengshui competition as he figures out just what Ji Ba wants him to do about Lin Zhu Shui. In the meanwhile, he falls in love with amazingly handsome, cool and aloof Lin Zhu Shui (who threatens to murder him if he doesn’t come out first in the competition), who keeps him warm when he gets unbearably cold due to his body condition. They also have to deal with an evil person working behind the scenes, and how Zhou Jia Yu eventually returns back into his own body at the end.

Read:

Novel (Online) | Novel (Print) - Dec 2020 Print | Novel Translations 

Characters:

1. 周嘉鱼 Zhou Jia Yu (third from right) - A really cute government office worker whose soul was pulled into a conman’s body, who has the same name as he, when he got into a car accident. Has an extremely yin (cold) body which attracts spirits (good and bad), and allows him to see, smell or hear them more clearly than everyone else except for Lin Zhu Shui. He cooks extremely well too and is considered a treasure in the household by Lin Zhu Shui’s other disciples because none of them can cook for shit. They don’t initially know that this Zhou Jia Yu is not conman Zhou Jia Yu, although they suspect it, and once they fall in love with his cooking no one doubts him anymore HAHAHA.

He gets a feng shui tattoo personally done by Lin Zhu Shui who already knows that his soul was switched, a tattoo which is supposed to help him in feng shui matters. Gets a paper doll son halfway through the story, who he calls Xiao Zhi (little paper), which calls him Dad (and calls Lin Zhu Shui Big Dad - da baba) ;-; It’s the cutest shit ever.

There’s a mystical creature in the back of his head that speaks to him and helps him out on certain feng shui things, and helps him to explain what he’s seeing, but aside from telling Jia Yu that he’s supposed to save Lin Zhu Shui, the mystical bird thing is unable to tell him anything else. Within a few weeks of him waking up in this body, he’s sent by Lin Zhu Shui on an international feng shui competition without having any sort of basic knowledge, only innate talent, much to his panic XD As Lin Zhu Shui continues to protect him, teach him and tease/smile at him, Jia Yu, who is certified gay af, falls totally in love with the seemingly aloof and strict feng shui master.

They probably would have continued like this if not for Jia Yu’s body deteriorating because his body is technically not his and not compatible with his soul, and Lin Zhu Shui tries to find a way to save him, after seeing the future where Jia Yu’s body is rotting as he dies slowly over months and begging Lin Zhu Shui to kill him and let him die.

2. 林逐水 Lin Zhu Shui (third from left, right next to Jia Yu) - Long-haired, wears changshan perpetually and is blind, but can see more clearly than most people. He knows where everyone’s positions are exactly, and can see spirits etc. very well despite being blind. Considered a genius of the feng shui world and is the patriarch of one of the big feng shui families in the world - the Lin family. He’s a master at drawing talismans, carving crystals/gems and feng shui tattooing.

He’s so well-known that everyone wants to be his disciple, everyone wants to get a talisman/crystal/tattoo from him, everyone wants him to come and look at their houses, but he can’t be bothered with most people. He’s also super handsome? So a lot of girls (and guys) are always drooling over him.

He has an extremely yang (hot) body, which is supposed to naturally help to repel spirits and what not, but because of this he suffers a lot in the summer. His body condition is very rare and when he was younger, others said he would not live past 18 years old, and his parents gave up their lives to change his fate so he would survive. The feng shui master also predicted that Lin Zhu Shui would experience another calamity when he was 30 (thereabout), and that year, thankfully he has Jia Yu as his entire house caught on fire in the summer while he was in it (and cooling talismans and the house item placements meant to keep the house entirely cool in the summer were no longer working). Jia Yu helped him to cool down with his incredibly yin body.

Knows right off the bat that this is a different Jia Yu, and starts teaching him as one of his disciples. Can only eat the food hat Jia Yu cooks because his yin qualities transfer to the food he cooks as well, and Lin Zhu Shui usually cannot eat anything else that’s cooked outside. Gives Jia Yu a carved jade pendant he made himself that’s apparently worth thousands of dollars to keep him safe, and is a dumbass when it comes to confessing to Jia Yu hahahaha (although he’s successful at the end!)

3. 沈一穷 Shen Yi Qiong (second from right, dark skin tone) - Lin Zhu Shui’s youngest disciple and also Jia Yu’s best friend, technically. Brash but smart, and is always thirsting openly after his shifu Lin Zhu Shui, it’s hilarious! He’s a little jealous in the beginning because his shifu is showering Jia Yu with so much attention when he’s only been around for a week etc., but quickly gets used to it and supports Jia Yu. Jia Yu always makes fun of his tanned skin, then makes fun of his singlehood HAHA, while Shen Yi Qiong provides emotional support to Jia Yu, and by emotional support I mean when Jia Yu asks him what will happen to him if he loses the feng shui competition, Shen Yi Qiong pats him on the shoulder and asks him to choose a vase/pot pattern (like a ceramic pot where you put cremated ashes) = shifu will kill him if he loses the competition, so gets Jia Yu to choose a pot he likes so Shen Yi Qiong can help him put his ashes in HAHAHAHA. He is the last one to find a significant other, but the one he finds is like a legendary mystical creature who half deceives him into promising to marry him and then keeps chasing after Shen Yi Qiong so he can marry him XD

4. 林珏 Lin Jue (first from left) - Lin Zhu Shui’s cousin but technically his older sister because she brought him up after his parents died. Spends most of the novel being sad about her past lover who died because of an illness, and is wooed a few years later by a legendary golden dragon.

5. 小纸 Xiao Zhi (that little cute white thing on top of Jia Yu’s head) - A paper doll who’s given to Jia Yu after he helps out at the paper doll village/tribe, and grows up with Jia Yu and Lin Zhu Shui taking care of him. Is the cutest little shit ever, can speak, and calls Jia Yu ‘baba’ and Lin Zhu Shui ‘da baba’ i.e. dad and big dad. Very strong, and can protect Jia Yu very well.

Other Things I Like in the Novel:

Jia Yu basically goes to the feng shui competition and destroys everyone else because he’s just gifted in this aspect - When he wakes up, and in the days leading up to the competition, he doesn’t have a cellphone (Lin Zhu Shui and his disciples live in a remote part of town, a traditional-type house, one with nature) and after he wins the competition, other people want his phone number to contact him and he’s too embarrassed to say that he’s basically too poor to have a phone after rising from the dead, so he bluffs everyone and says “My shifu says that handphone signals and radiation will interfere with advanced feng shui readings so I don’t have one” and LITERALLY half of the feng shui training population gets rid of their phones on that day, gullible af

Everytime Jia Yu runs cold, he has to drink some of Lin Zhu Shui’s blood mixed with water/milk, and the man’s yang blood warms him up immediately

Jia Yu has to deal with four of Lin Zhu Shui’s disciples, all who are really suspicious of him because they think he’s the conman, and Jia Yu doesn’t realize they already know it’s not him until they defend him in front of other people, and he’s so touched

Shen Yi Qiong gets his marriage fortune told during one of the cases by accident. He asks when he’ll get married, and the thing replies “Seven Three” AND HE’S SO DEPRESSED BECAUSE he thinks that it means he’ll only get married when he’s 73. It’s a source of jokes between him, his other shixiongs and Jia Yu, but then towards the end he realizes what it means - His supposed match, a legendary mystical male weasel who’s 73 years old XD

Jia Yu keeps thirsting after Lin Zhu Shui, fully aware that he’s very gay himself, and he’s confessed to while he’s stuck in the haze of a high fever, so he thinks it’s a dream. Lin Zhu Shui doesn’t realize he forgot/thinks it’s a dream and is pissed that he’s rejected HAHAHA and then Lin Jue reminds him to not be a dumbass and confess properly, and so he does so again in an empty amusement park, after summoning evil spirits so they can fly in the air and make a heart shape just for Jia Yu while they’re on the ferris wheel XDDDD

#danmei #danmei recs #我五行缺你 #my five elements lack you #my five elements is short of you #西子绪 #xi zi xu #min's why you should read

[dhwty-writes]

Chapter 19 - Golden Gowns and Eventful Evenings

I have no excuse, so I will just post this and run 

Jaskier and Geralt attend the banquet in Goldfurt together. 

prologue | previous | next

Read on AO3

Being the biggest city between Yspaden and Mirt, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that Goldfurt exceeded any and all expectations Jaskier might have had before returning after his twenty-year absence. Being governed by his brother-in-law, Janina’s husband no less, it shouldn’t come as a surprise either that they exceeded them in the wrong direction.

Truth be told, he did not remember a lot about the city from his pre-Oxenfurt days. Of course, they had been obligated to visit the banquet every year, both as neighbours as well as the family of the future Countess, but Jaskier had been barely thirteen the last time he had attended the festivities. The only thing he remembered from that visit was his short-lived infatuation with one of Goldfurt’s squires. It had promptly ended when said squire had basically wiped the floor with him in the training yard during their one and only interaction.

After that unpleasantness he had gladly given a rather wide berth to the city and the castle at its centre. Jaskier had even managed to forestall the unhappy reunion for another year due to a cough at the most convenient of times.

This year, however, there was no excuse in the world that would have made it appropriate for him to stay away. Not with his title, not with his renewed betrothal to Lady Alina. Not with the two newest additions to his household, he was supposed to parade around like a pair of exotic animals.

Jaskier ground his teeth as he tugged at the sleeves of his shirt. ‘Melitele’s tits, I’d gladly attend the dinner if I could leave Ciri and Geralt in Lettenhove,’ he thought bitterly. But that would not only be a grievous insult, it would also rouse more suspicion and rumours than they already did. ‘Best hide them in plain sight.’ And if something unforeseeable were to happen, they could also make a quick escape.

Due to these unforeseen developments, the lack of information had posed quite an obstacle. If there was one particular lesson the twenty years with Geralt had taught him, then it was that ignorance in the face of danger could be fatal. And while one might assume, that a witcher’s lifestyle was much more deadly than a Viscounts, Jaskier would gladly go and fight a dozen ghouls with nothing but his lute, instead of entering the vipers’ nest that was Goldfurt.

Extensive reconnaissance—consisting of squeezing as much information as possible out of his three sisters—had revealed that he might actually have better chance with the ghouls. The silk doublet his servant buttoned up would do little against daggers in the dark or libations laced with poison. Not that he expected his kin and kinfolk-to-be to try and murder him at a dinner party, of course. He expected them to have some decorum at least.

Still, he had entered the city knowing fully well that he was anathema to at least half a dozen invited guests, not least of all their host. On the other hand, which relative of his wife was not anathema to Filip Firkalt?  None of them, that was which. It had been one of the primary sources of their entertainment in the past days.

It was no secret that while he and his sisters nursed a precarious love-hate-relationship, the loving aspect was completely lost on the in-laws. The source of that animosity, of course, lay in the title he now bore. The moment his disappearance after his graduation from Oxenfurt had become public knowledge, both of his brothers-in-law had begun vying for what was rightfully his, Kerton with his heir even more so than childless Goldfurt. The fact that he had returned to rob them of what they had already considered theirs, was just another strain on their relationship.

Another of the lessons Geralt had imparted to him, was the importance of a plan. So, not only had the four Pankratz siblings spent their evenings mocking the stupidities they had been forced to endure by the hands of the men in their lives the past two decades, they had also conspired how best to pay them back within the confines of propriety. Two of them, at least. Janina and her blood-tear mourning garb had only been the appetiser for the main course that was to be served at the banquet tonight.

Or rather, it should have been. For the first vital life lesson he had learned on the Path was that every plan, no matter how good or bad, immediately went to shit upon the first contact with the opponents. Theirs had been no exception to the rule. The memory still made him clench his fist in anger. The disrespect shown to him and his sisters by not riding out to greet them was one thing. But he should have punched Goldfurt in the face when he first had called Geralt a dog. ‘Right then and there, castle peace be damned.’

“M’lord?” the attendant fussing over his cuffs called his attention with a meek voice. “Begging your pardon, but you have to let go of that fist, m’lord.”

“Oh,” he replied dumbfounded as his eyes travelled down to the rings he was holding in his hands. “Of course.” Slowly, he uncurled his tightly clenched fingers, while she slipped the signet ring as well as the embellished buttercup ring in place.

Jaskier stared blankly at his mirror image, fighting the urge to smile at the sight of him clad in Lettenhove ochre and muted autumnal colours. It would be the last time to dress for such an occasion before winter undoubtedly would settle in but a few days. He would be in need of a level head as much as a stoic façade for this evening. No matter how much he wanted to shout out his delight over his delivery from the straightjacket that had been his mourning garb. He wouldn’t have a lute to do so anyways, so there was no point in it.

In any way, there was no bard required this evening. He needed to be the Viscount de Lettenhove instead, protecting all those who had sought shelter at his home and hearth for the winter. ‘Geralt chief among them all.’ The witcher had protected him for nigh twenty years of his life, after all. After all these years of watching helplessly as villagers, nobles, and innkeepers had made Geralt’s life miserable, he was finally in a position to repay him. And it was high time that he did so.

“Will that be everything, m’lord?” the servant asked with a coy smile.

“Yes.”

He bowed obediently, still lingering. “Shall I be waiting for your return?”

Jaskier spared him a short considerate glance. He was quite an attractive fellow, although far too young. “Best not,” he answered, doing his best to keep the contempt from dripping into his voice. It wasn’t directed at the servant anyways. “It will be rather late, I’ll wager.” He certainly wasn’t desperate enough to take a man to ben who might not be offering his companionship for his own volition but because of ill-directed instructions he’d received.

Besides, he had a witcher to get to. The servant bolted from the room and Jaskier quickly followed, but not before grabbing the bundle on his bed.

His witcher had been billeted at a ridiculous distance to Jaskier’s own rooms in quarters which found themselves in a distressingly poor state. Well, nothing in Goldfurt Castle classified as ‘poor’ exactly, but in comparison to the usually upheld standard, it was scarcely better than the rug on the floor he’d been offered at first. The unfairness of it all made his blood boil.

Geralt, on the other hand, remained as unfazed as Jaskier was accustomed to. He had even kept him from running back to make good on his first impulse to bestow their host with a bloody nose. Instead, he had praised the quarters and assured him that he would be just fine, before ushering him out.

‘Maybe,’ a treacherous voice in the back of his head hissed, ‘he’s even glad to get away from you.’

Jaskier gnawed on his lower lip. He couldn’t even fault Geralt for that. His own welcome for his oldest friend had been anything but warm and he was well aware of the coldness freezing the air between them. ‘He still hasn’t apologised,’ he reminded himself. ‘Stubborn mule.’ Instead, Geralt had hurt him even more, albeit unknowingly so. Not that that made it hurt any less.

The same door that had slammed shut behind his back a few days prior blocked the path before him now. Jaskier didn’t allow himself a second thought and swung it open. “Ger—” He was with one foot over the threshold already, when he suddenly remembered and the fear of finding Geralt in bed with Marin stole his voice.

“My lord?”

He appeared to be in luck. Geralt was alone in the chamber. And nearly naked. The only strip of fabric on his person was a towel slung low around his hips and the shirt in his hands, his hair still damp from a bath.

“Uhm,” he said eloquently, while he desperately tried to get his thoughts into order. Unfortunately, he did not manage before his mouth started talking without any cerebral input: “You’re not wearing that,” he blurted of all things.

No ‘Good evening, Geralt’, or ‘How are you enjoying your stay, Geralt?’, or even ‘Fuck, why can’t we go back to how it was before, I’m slowly losing my mind, Geralt.’

No, it was 'You're not wearing that.'

If ever there was a moment for the skies to part and the gods to strike him down with a well-placed bolt of lightning, this was certainly is, right before 'You don't want to keep a man with bread in his pants waiting.' What was it about the witcher that made him so exceptionally stupid? Whatever it was, if the gods could hurry up and erase his existence from this earth, Jaskier would be much obliged, thank you very much.

Unfortunately, nothing happened.

Nothing of that sort, at least, because something happened and that was Geralt slowly glancing down at the towel and up at Jaskier again to deadpan: "I wasn't going to."

"Good," Jaskier's mouth ambled on.

He had to hand it to Geralt, the fact that he didn't so much as raise his eyebrows before moving to put on the shirt was undoubtedly one of his greatest displays of discipline so far.

"You're not going to wear that, either," Jaskier continued, slowly regaining control of his words again.

“Why not?” he asked, his voice impossibly honest. As if there was nothing wrong with the black shirt and breeches, he had worn on the day they’d arrived.

“Because,” he quipped and tossed him the bag he was carrying, “you’re not going as a witcher tonight. This is my brother-in-law’s banquet; we have a reputation to uphold. You're my friend and anyone who knows me, which is everyone here, is well aware that the only way my friend is dressed in anything but the finest clothing would be over my dead body. I'd never allow you to stand out for your tastelessness and considering that you don't appear to have a fashion sense for yourself, I'll gladly provide you with assistance."

"Hmm." Geralt cleared his throat and said: "I need to change if you want me to wear that." He flourished the expensive clothes in his hand.

"Right." Jaskier took a breath to steady himself. But somehow, his feet didn't move.

He raised his gaze with an amused expression on his face. "You need to leave the room, my lord, unle-" The expression on his face changed rapidly as if he was just realising what he was saying.

The barbed retort was already on the tip of his tongue: 'Why, Geralt, are you offering I stay to watch?' But the image of him and Marin kissing was much too present in his mind as it was, so Jaskier bit his lip to keep it from escaping. 'He's not mine to keep,' he reminded himself. 'Never has been, never will be.' "Right," he forced out and turned around, "I'll wait for you in the hallway." He wasn't sure either of them would survive the dinner otherwise.

Jaskier did his best to keep from fidgeting and pacing while he waited outside, which was no easy feat considering the nervousness and hum of energy building within him. Normally, he wasn’t prone to fits of anxiousness. Tonight, however, there was so much that could go wrong, so much that would ruin everything, so much—

Mercifully, the spiral of dread was interrupted by the quiet lock of a door behind him, accompanied by Geralt politely clearing his throat.

“Finally!” Jaskier meant to say as he turned on his heel. What got out was more of a garble: "Hngh." Geralt looked... dashing. There was no other word for it, truly. Well other than 'otherworldly beautiful and I can't decide whether the outfit choice was the best or worst idea I had in a long time and shit, I really should have taken that into consideration; he's not yours to keep, Jaskier, get it together, gods damnit!'

Yeah, dashing was much easier than that. Blue suited him, but Jaskier had already known that. He had chosen the outfit for their last ball together as well, after all. But in contrast to that disastrous outfit, the witcher wore clothes that actually fit him, instead of too small things Jaskier had pulled out of his bag. And on top of that, the witcher had the audacity to smirk. "You approve, my lord?"

"I do," Jaskier managed without embarrassing himself further. "We should go," he decreed. "The Count and Countess will make their appearance soon; it is considered terribly impolite to arrive after them."

"And you're only aiming for impolite?" Geralt teased.

Jaskier frowned and quickly looked down to hide a smile. It was true, most of the meticulous planning by him and his sisters prior to this visit had been to be as impolite as possible while still operating within the socially acceptable norms. Janina and her blood-tear mourning garb had been only the beginning of what would undoubtedly come to a head this evening.

Judging by the quiet snort beside him, he wasn’t quick enough. “Geralt,” he spoke up a few moments later.

“My lord?”

He grimaced slightly. “You probably shouldn’t call me that tonight. It would only… raise suspicion.”

The witcher frowned deeply. “And what should I call you then?”

“Julian,” he said simply. “That’s my name, you know.”

“I thought you resented that name.”

‘I do,’ he thought. “I mustn’t,” he answered and continued on into the dining hall. A large part of the nigh two hundred guests had already arrived and heated the room up nicely, in spite of the freezing temperatures outside. A plethora of voices filled his ears, the kind of pleasant buzz that usually promised an eager crowd Jaskier could sail upon. But he couldn't, so now the mix was irritating, fraying his nerves. And it smelt. Not quite enough to actually stink, but that would come soon enough with the fragrances mixing with sweat and food.

All of the sudden, Jaskier pitied Geralt. He knew the witcher had much finer senses than he did and if he was nearly overwhelmed-

A nigh unnoticeable touch at his elbow made him whip around. He stared directly at Geralt's face. "Are you alright?" the witcher asked quietly, concern etched onto every fibre of his body.

"Quite," Jaskier answered stiffly, letting his eyes sweep over the crowd until he spotted Ciri and Józefa at a table directly beneath the dais. “Let us join my lovely sister and cousin, shall we?” the Viscount announced with a bright smile frozen on his face as he crossed the threshold, a gentle hand on Geralt’s elbow to ensure he would follow.

There was no announcement, no herald making their arrival known, yet at least half a dozen heads turned their direction immediately. A hushed whisper spread through the ballroom with each of their footfalls, like ripples on a still lake during a rain shower that turned into a thunderstorm. A few moments passed, none of the attendants quite sure how to react—Julian Pankratz’ return had been surprising to all, disconcerting to most, and relieving to none.

Then: “Julian Pankratz!” a booming voice cut through the backdrop of murmurs, the crowd parting to let the speaker through. “I didn’t think you’d have the guts to show your face here.”

Jaskier’s lips curled into a true smile for but a moment when he recognised him. “Dawid,” he greeted his former friend, wincing slightly when he pounded on his shoulder, “I wouldn’t have if I had known you’d be here.”

The knight laughed at that, slung an arm around his shoulders and pulled him along. After that it was as if a wall had broken down. The journey to their places was torturously slow, continuously interrupted by former friends and lovers, now married and introducing their heirs, enemies and strangers, who sought to curry favours, or just regular attendants who just wanted an excuse to gawk at him.

They had almost made it, the end of their table already in touching distance, when another petitioner approached. It was a young boy, a squire, Jaskier guessed, dressed in Goldfurt’s livery, who bowed deeply. “My lord, my lord Goldfurt sends his regrets for the unfortunate seating situation,” the boy said with a wavering voice. “I am to let you know that there unfortunately is not enough space to accommodate all of your family as well as your witcher.”

Jaskier did not have to look up at the half-empty dais to know it was a blatant lie. “Unfortunate indeed,” he replied curtly.

“However, his lordship asked me to inform you that you yourself are welcome to join him at the high table, as are the two maidens who share his blood. And that you may rest assured, my lord, the witcher will enjoy himself just fine where he is.”

"I thank you kindly," Jaskier answered primly. "If you would do me the favour of relaying a message to her ladyship, now? Tell my sister, what is good enough for my witcher is good enough for me. I do not wish to add any additional strain to our familial relationship than there already is with our presence, which is why I am sure I will enjoy the festivities just as well down here as up there."

The boy stared up at him with wide eyes. "Lady Goldfurt," impressed upon him again. "If possible, in the presence of Lady Kerton." He nodded hastily and disappeared.

When Jaskier turned around with a sigh he was met with Geralt's dark expression. "What?"

"Do you think it advisable-"

He waved his hand around tiredly, continuing his path to Józefa and Ciri. Fuck, he was exhausted already and the banquet hadn't even started yet. "Do not worry about my wisdom, Geralt, I know more about these affairs than you do."

"It's not your wisdom or intelligence I question, I know you have both aplenty. It's your foresight. I do not know you to be a patient man."

"And I am not, but luckily it is not of the essence in this case. I am aware we tread on unfamiliar territory for you, but I grew up here. I am well aware of how far I, Julian of Lettenhove, can go before truly insulting someone. Lucky for us both, it is much farther that either you, Geralt of Rivia, or I, Jaskier the bard, could hope to. If anything, it will reflect poorly on our host to deny me my designated place over such a petty squabble. It will earn us sympathies!"

"What will earn us sympathies?" Ciri's eager voice asked.

"The fact that you will have to make do with this entirely new place for you, cublet, that is not at the side of the host of such a lavish gathering,” Jaskier replied and bowed with a flourish, taking her hand to kiss her knuckles. She giggled. “Madam, what a joy it is to see you. Truly, you are the jewel that crowns this evening; your beauty outshines the rising sun after a moonless night.”

“Thank you, Lord Lettenhove,” she answered with a perfect curtsy, during which the skirts of her dress flared out. Lettenhove ochre, just like his doublet, he noticed, and her dark hair plaited in an updo that must have taken hours to complete. It left no doubts as to where she belonged. She glanced up at him with a malicious glint in her eyes. "Do you know the best part?" she whispered.

He leaned down to her. "Tell me."

"The skirts are so wide, I could still gut a man in it."

Jaskier blinked in surprise; it was the quiet chuckle form Geralt that got him to finally break into laughter. "And what a good thing that is," he assured her.

"Fiona," Józefa chided softly. "I told you not to say that in nice company."

“Of course, cousin,” Ciri replied with a mischievous grin, “I would never.”

"Thank you," he said, rolling his eyes and winked at Ciri. He couldn't stop the feeling of pride welling up within him, but at least he could stop himself from hugging her by approaching his sister and kissing her hand as well. "You, madam, are just as dazzling as our young cousin. I fear I shall be blinded after this night, surrounded by so much beauty."

Behind him he heard Geralt whisper to Ciri: "What answer?"

"I just insulted him politely," Ciri answered just as hushed, evidently very proud himself. 

Józefa huffed and crossed her arms under her chest. She was wearing an expensive red robe with orange embroidery and primroses etched on the edge. "You are a woeful waffler, brother. But you look good, too. Nice and proper."

"Nice and proper indeed," Jaskier replied and straightened his impeccable doublet. "You think I can fool them into thinking I am just as much of a stuck-up prick as my father was and as they are?"

"Hmm," she hummed and cast a quick glance around. "I think you already have. Maybe yell at a few servants or refuse to speak to any of the ladies if the topic is not their beauty if you really want to drive the point home."

He nodded thoughtfully. "Working on it, sister dearest. I'm working on it." He clapped his hands and smiled brightly. "Well, let's get comfortable, shall we?" he chirped and pulled the chair back for his sister and Ciri in turn.

When he turned to Geralt and quirked a curious eyebrow when he still found him standing. The witcher looked back and forth between Jaskier and his two wards before shrugging. Geralt pulled back his seat with the mockery of a bow. 

He huffed a quiet laugh. "Thank you, my friend," Jaskier said with a subtle touch to Geralt's shoulder as he sat down.

"You're welcome. Julian," he said, as if he was probing out the taste of the unfamiliar name in his lips. A moment later he grimaced, as if it was particularly disgusting.

Jaskier was almost about to tease him about him when the great doors opened and Lord Goldfurt walked in with Janina on his arm. His sister looked magnificent, if he dared say so himself. While she usually didn't indulge in the luxuries that her advantageous marriage granted her, Jaskier was sure that she was wearing the most luxurious dress she had donned since her wedding. It was in dark and subdued tones, almost dark enough to count as mourning, that screamed "Lettenhove" at the same time.

Jaskier smirked. It had been a brilliant idea on Justyna's part.

The unhappy pair stopped before the dais, Janina stone-faced and Filip with a smile that fooled no-one. "My dear friends," he greeted them, "I am overjoyed that I am able to greet all of you once again at the beginning of this new year. May it bring prosperity and health for all of us. Especially my estranged brother-in-law, Julian Pankratz who has finally ascended to his rightful place as Lord Lettenhove. It's an honour and a pleasure to finally host the famous Pankratz siblings again. A shame that you are missing one of your matching set. What do you say, Julian? A toast of the famous poet!"

Jaskier rose from his seat to the thundering applause and bowed exaggeratedly. Somehow, this was the most calming thing he had done in months. "Thank you, thank you," he placated. " I fear neither honour nor pleasure are the words our hosts usually describe us with." It roused a laugh from the crowd. "But, for the sake of this tradition, we will behave.

"I am thrilled, though I am entirely undeserving of the praise. Here's to my sisters, who are more beautiful than a bouquet of larkspurs. To the Count of Goldfurt, our gracious host. It is my utmost joy to finally be reunited with my family and my home. To Redania! And to his beautiful lady wife, my sister, Janina of Lettenhove."

He could practically feel the temperature drop in the hall as soon as he had uttered the last words, all eyes trained on Goldfurt to see how he might react. He practically didn't react at all, besides begrudgingly raising his goblet to his mouth and taking the tiniest of sips. "To home," he agreed reluctantly, "and my lady wife."

Janina, on the other hand, barely contained her grin and drank a big gulp. "To home," she said as well and the toast echoed through the hall, slowly reciprocated by all of the guests. The toasts were mixed with murmurs of confusion that died as soon as the food started to appear.

The banquet itself was a dreary affair as noble banquets often were, especially if the people at your table were of the quiet sort. And what was Geralt if not the quietest of them all?

Still, Jaskier delighted in pointing out the Counts, Barons and knights to Ciri. Between Józefa and himself they managed not only to call up old history lessons of their neighbours and their connections to Lettenhove, but also a fair share of gossip as the first course was served: fish. Oh, and what fish it was. Platters upon platters of smoked cod was passed in front of them, along with roast pike and fat carps in beer sauce, accompanied with little pastries of perch, trout, and salmon.

It was good. No, divine even. Not as good as Ana's cooking at home, but that was hard to beat. Apart from that it might be the best food he'd eaten in years.

"Did you know," Józefa stage-whispered and leaned over to him, "that three years ago Goldfurt's aunt was found in flagrante with Dergetten's elder sister?"

Jaskier gasped, pretending to be scandalised. "You're kidding. That old bag?"

"What's in flagrante?" Ciri wanted to know and Geralt choked on his food. "Jaskier, what's it mean?"

"Umm," he felt his cheeks grow hot. "You know what? Geralt will gladly explain that to you." The witcher shot him a mean glare that betrayed that, no, he absolutely would not. At this point he decided that it was best to change the topic. "Do you see that old knight over there?" he asked and discreetly pointed at the table across the dance floor from them. "He's supposed to be a dragon slayer."

Geralt snorted disbelievingly, and Jaskier shrugged. "Oh, we all know he's a liar. He's got the dragon's wings hanging in his hall, I've seen them. If you ask me, it's a bat he killed. And not even an especially large one."

Ciri giggled at that and Jaskier happily continued to dish out child-appropriate rumours as the next round of dishes for them to choose from was paraded around. It was poultry next, roast chickens, chicken pastries, scalloped chickens. But also, a dozen herons, little carrot-nests with fieldfares, and truffled capon. And all along the wine flowed freely. Est-Est was brought out by the barrel, as well as dry reds, sweet whites and even the odd sparkling wine in between. Normally, Jaskier would have indulged happily, but he had the feeling that he should keep a clear head for the evening. Besides, he had monitor Ciri's alcohol intake, who readily charmed the servants into slipping another sip into her watered-down wine.

They had just advanced to the main courses—fourteen suckling pigs, two dozen roast veal, eight whole boars, a handful of oxen, with thick gravy, cooked and fried and braised roots and an overabundance of cabbages. White cabbages, red cabbages, pickled cabbage, cabbage salad—oh, how he missed Toussaint in the winter—when some puffed-up peacock playing at being a poet swaggered onto the dance floor. Jaskier huffed and crossed his arms, pointedly ignoring Geralt's bemused stares. 'The bardlet isn't even good,' Jaskier noted and forced himself to stop listening, else he might work himself into a rage over the blatant display of negative talent, that's what it was—

Geralt relieved a servant of her pitcher to refill both their goblets. Upon seeing Jaskier's questioning expression he shrugged. "Might make it more bearable for both of us," he explained and nudged the cup towards him. "This night I won't suffer sober."

He laughed hoarsely and clinked their cups together before taking a large gulp. "To sobriety, then."

"To banquets," Geralt added and glanced over to Ciri, "and no more surprises."

"What are you two talking about?" she wanted to know.

"The last banquet we attended together," Jaskier answered, steadfastly trying to ignore how his heart hurt at the thought. "It's where... we met your mother."

"Oh." She perked up at that, although her eyes seemed to grow sadder. "Was it... was it similar?"

"No," Jaskier said, just as Geralt replied: "Yes."

They blinked at each other for a moment before looking away. Jaskier tried to ignore the curious look Ciri gave him before she was distracted by Józefa again, the gods bless her soul. He was sure the little princess wasn't listening anymore and he was even more sure that Geralt was well aware of it, when the witcher growled: "The music was better."

"Excuse me?" he squeaked. Quickly, he cleared his throat. "Excuse me?" he asked again

He leaned over to him and Jaskier eyed him warily. "The bard's shit," he hissed. "Can't even carry a simple tune."

Well. That wasn't untrue. But hearing it from Geralt made him nearly spit out his wine. "You think all bards are shit," he responded as soon as he had recovered from his coughing fit.

"Bull-fucking-shit," Geralt growled. "I like your singing well enough."

He raised an incredulous eyebrow. "You called my singing a fillingless pie."

He shrugged. "And I still think that's true. Tasty crust," he impaled a piece of pie on his fork, "no filling." He pointed his fork at Jaskier. "Pretty voice, empty lyrics."

"Oh, so you think I have a pretty voice?" the words were out of his mouth before he could stop himself. "Anything else about me that appeals to your artistic eye?"

"Hmm," Geralt answered and raked his eyes over Jaskier's body before quickly hiding his smile behind his goblet. Not quickly enough, though. His cheeks grew hot with the blush and he frowned darkly.

'Stop it,' he commanded himself. 'No use reading meanings into something where nothing's there.' He drained his water glass. He was is desperate need of a clear head, for he was quite aware that the heat coursing through his body was not merely caused by the many people getting drunk in the room.

At least he could distract himself with dessert being served: sweet pumpkin pies and baked, stuffed apples, red berry groats and oat biscuits with honey and cinnamon. Jaskier was quick enough to snatch the cup of mulled wine out of Ciri's hands, but could hardly protest the platter laden with all different kinds of sweets—not when his plate didn't look any different.

He passed the goblet he had just salvaged over to Geralt, who just scoffed. "Oh, now he's ripping off your songs," the witcher grumbled. "Ridiculous."

Jaskier sighed. "Let him." He knew there were enough impostors; he had stopped caring years ago.

"He's not even getting the lyrics right."

"I thought they were empty anyways," he remarked and popped a biscuit into his mouth.

"Not the point."

"Jaskier," Ciri interrupted them, "they're starting to dance."

He frowned as he saw Goldfurt leading Janina onto the dance floor to signify the end of the dinner. He sighed as he caught Lady Alina's eye on the other side of the hall. No doubt he would be expected to share at least one dance with his betrothed, for propriety's sake.

"I suppose you should join them, Julian," Geralt quipped and crossed his arms as they watched Justyna and Damian join them on the dance floor.

"I suppose I should."

"Well?"

He rolled his eyes. "Maybe later. For the moment, allow me to abuse your presence to hide from my duties." He watched his two sisters dance when another thought hit him: "Wait, how do you know that the lyrics are wrong?"

Jaskier could've sworn he saw a blush creep up Geralt's cheeks as the witcher grumbled something unintelligible and hid behind his tankard again.

"Geralt of Rivia," Jaskier gasped indignantly, "are you trying to tell me, you memorised my songs?"

"Don't flatter yourself."

“I—” Jaskier began, only to be interrupted by Józefa: “Julian,” she called his attention. “I believe you should honour the Lady Alina with a dance.”

“Fine,” he ground out and rose to his feet.  “I believe I have to surrender you to my sister’s care for a while, so I fear our conversation will have to come to a close for the moment.”

“Pity,” the witcher grumbled and leaned back in his seat, obviously not finding it a pity at all.

Jaskier laughed as if he had just told a joke. “Do try to enjoy yourself, my friend.” He winked, though his heart sank. “I’ll be back.”

He wasn’t quite sure if he should be relieved or not to leave the witcher and his sour mood behind, though he was sure that his own mood grew worse with every step. Eyes and whispers clung to him all along the way, although he pretended not to hear.

He couldn’t deny them their right to gossip; they were landed gentry after all, what else were they supposed to do with their pitiable lives? He’d just prefer that gossip to be limited to him and not the newest two additions to his household.

He had been hesitant, at first, to bring both of them to Goldfurt. Truly the last thing on earth they needed was more attention on Lettenhove. But after some long talks with Józefa they had come to the conclusion that there were rumours anyways. Not bringing the two of them along would look even more conspicuous.

In the end, he wasn’t the one who found his betrothed, for she beat him to the chase. “Lord Lettenhove,” she called for his attention.

“Lady Alina,” he did little to mask his surprise. “You’re just the one I was looking for.”

“Were you now?” She raised her eyebrows. “No doubt for the same reasons as I do.”

“And which might those be?”

“To satisfy my brother’s demands that we socialise, of course,” she replied and raised her fan to hide her exaggerated yawn. “Is there not a question you should ask me?”

Jaskier bowed gracefully. "May I have this dance, my lady?"

“You may.” She barely even bothered with a curtsy before she let herself be led to the centre of the dance floor. The spent about half of the dance in icy silence, before Lady Alina finally spoke up: “So, are the rumours true then?”

“Rumours?” he feigned ignorance.

She snorted. “Do not insult me, Lettenhove. We both know that you are well aware what I am talking about.”

Of course, he knew. The whole society talked about nothing else but Fiona Nowak’s parents. There was a myriad of different stories where she came from and why she was in Lettenhove now, many of which he and Józefa had planted themselves. The most wide-spread, however, was the only one that he had actually tried to extinguish: “If you want to pretend, you’re more stupid than you actually are, fine. Let me be frank, my lord. Is young Miss Nowak your bastard daughter?”

He locked his jaw. “Those rumours are none that I encouraged,” he answered curtly.

“That does not answer my question.”

“And yet it is the only answer I will give on that matter,” he insisted. He had no wish to discuss the matter any further, so he was not quite sure what made him continue talking: “Though it is true that she is very dear to me, as is her safety. I would do anything to keep her safe.”

“How admirable,” she responded drily. “Though again, I would have thought the cleverness of your sisters runs in the family. I am disappointed to see that it doesn’t.”

He raised his eyebrows. ‘Ouch.’ Were he a man easily slighted, he would have taken offence. In reality, though, he was only impressed. “Are you well acquainted with them, my lady?”

“With some better than others. Did you know that I spent a few years in Nowigrad?”

He tensed up and she laughed.

“Of course, you did. You avoided the city like the plague back then.” Lady Alina smiled politely. “Well, Jolanta sends her regards.”

He frowned. She had never told him that she knew his former fiancée.

“She also lets you know that another friend of yours is growing restless with… this.” She made a vague gesture at the gossiping nobles around them.

“What is that supposed to mean?”

“I could not say, my lord, I am but the messenger.” The music stopped and she stepped back from him immediately. “I believe we have satisfied our duties. Good night, my lord.”

Even after leaving his fiancée in the arms of another, the dancing did not stop. Instead of his feet tracing patterns over the floor, his words took over as he found himself getting sucked deeper and deeper into the deadly dance of deception that was so popular with all nobles. Whenever he spun, trying to step off the dance floor of politics he found himself in the slippery grasp of yet another opponent. Chief among them, of course, were his sisters.

"Despicable old bag," Janina hissed, still eyeing the dowager Baroness he had rescued her from. "She's rotten to the bone."

"A Dergetten through and through," he agreed. "Józefa told me she’s the reason Lady Zibold came down with that horrible stomach sickness two years ago."

"Really, Julek?" She rolled her eyes. "You, churning the rumour mill?"

He shrugged. He had never claimed to be above these petty squabbles; he was landed gentry, after all, what else was he supposed to do with his pitiable life?

He spun away from her, soon to be embraced by another lady. All the while he danced, he could hear the rumours continue to spread like wildfire.

“Did you hear Lettenhove had the witcher bring his bastard to his keep?” he heard one nobleman whisper.

“She’s supposed to be the daughter of some whore,” another quipped.

“Don’t be a fool, Alma, she’s the Countess de Stael’s daughter; remember how she retreated to a temple for a few months a decade ago?”

“No, she has elf blood in her veins, it’s why he hid her.”

On and on the whispers went and Jaskier couldn’t help but roll his eyes at them. Not a single one of them got even close to the truth. He supposed he had to be grateful for that and he couldn’t resist the smile tugging at the corner of his mouth when he saw her. She was hand in hand with Daria, sweeping over the dance floor and disturbing this dancing couples in the process.

He spun a web of lies to evade a landed knight’s curious questions and found himself on the dancefloor again within the blink of an eye, Justyna in his arms.

"I am glad to see her so joyous," he said with a fond smile as Ciri and Daria swept past them again, nearly knocking Janina and Goldfurt over in the process. "Both of them." His smile widened even more when he saw her keeping her husband from reprimanding them. 'You can't hide from me, Janka,' he thought triumphantly, 'she's gotten to you just as much as to the rest of us.'

Justyna hummed her approval. "She's a sullen child, is she not? I feared she might faint during our first meeting."

Jaskier sighed. "She's been through a lot, Konwalia. She's seen so many bad things, worse than anything you or me can imagine, and she's just a child."

He stepped away to bow to her as she spun away from him. When he pulled her close again, she averted her gaze. "Maybe I didn't give you enough credit. Maybe you might be able to understand."

“Maybe I might be,” he agreed cautiously. “Where’s Julek, by the way? I don’t think I’ve seen him in hours.”

"He's— Miss Nina put him to bed. He was... not feeling well."

"He's a quiet boy."

"He is. Easily overwhelmed, too. He doesn't smile a lot either. He's a good boy, though," she assured him quickly.

"That I do not doubt," he said and smiled. She didn't return it. "Justyna?" Her gaze flickered away nervously as she tugged on her sleeve. It was a bad habit their father had beaten out of her even before he'd left. It worried him. “You—I am aware that you think me unable to comprehend your worries, and maybe you are right and I am. However, I hope that you would still confide in me after all these years. If there is anything short of murder and treason within my power to help you and yours, I will do it, without hesitation.”

She kept silent for a few more moments, looking uneasy. "It's Damian," she told him quietly. "He believes him a changeling."

He huffed disbelievingly. “A changeling?”

“Yes,” she confirmed. “That’s what he settled for after accusing me of adultery first. He does not believe that a son of his could be this—”

“Inadequate?” Jaskier offered, well-acquainted with that particular paternal sentiment.

“He is not what he wants his son to be. Not courageous, not knightly enough, while Daria is—not enough of a boy to be precisely that.”

“And isn’t that a familiar tune?” Jaskier sighed quietly. “I am sorry your son takes this much after his namesake.”

“I am not.” She raised her chin defiantly. “For I love his namesake, just as I love my son.”

“I am glad to hear that.” The song ended and they both took a step backwards. Jaskier reached down and gently lifted her knuckles to his lips. “Worry not, my lady. For the time being, you are guests in Lettenhove, protected by my castle peace. And I happen to be quite fond of cowards, monsters, and inadequate children.”

Her expression softened. “I know you are. Thank you, Jaskier.”

He squeezed her hand briefly, before excusing himself, in desperate need of a drink—and a conversation with a certain witcher, he believed. The ballroom floor was as dangerous a terrain as it had been the whole evening, but Jaskier deftly dodged those who threatened to converse with him before collapsing in the chair next to Geralt. "Finally," he sighed and gladly took the goblet his witcher handed him.

“Did you have fun, Julian?” Geralt asked him and Jaskier raised an incredulous eyebrow.

“Did I look like I was having fun?” he countered.

“I am sure there was quite a number of attendants you managed to fool.” The unspoken ‘but not me’ hang heavy in the air between them and for a moment he allowed himself to bask in the familiarity of that. Jaskier closed his eyes, the noise and smell and lights draining away with every heartbeat until he could pretend it was just the two of them in a lonely clearing, sharing a skin of sour wine. Just them, just friends, just a witcher and his bard.

The illusion was sundered all too soon by a voice they had suffered all too long for one evening already. "Good sirs, might I persuade you to make a request?” Jaskier opened his eyes again and found himself staring into the young and bright-eyed face of a bard whose hopes and dreams were surely about to be crushed. The boy smiled widely and bowed. “Along with a bit of constructive criticism, mayhaps?"

Jaskier exchanged a quick glance with Geralt and, slowly and deliberately, set down his goblet as he waited for the answer he knew would come: "You changed the lyrics," Geralt stated, "not for the better."

"And how would you know?" the bardling asked with too much enthusiasm and tilted his head to the side. He gave them both a thorough look before gasping with excitement. "Oh, I know who you are! You're the witcher, Geralt of Rivia. And you-" He turned to Jaskier and his eyes grew wide. "Master Jaskier!" He bowed deeply. "It's an honour to meet you, truly it is. I have studied all of your work, sir, I am one of your greatest admirers."

He did his best to hide his pained expression with a smile. "I fear I do not go by that name anymore. I am old and weary; it is time for the new generation to get a chance. Viscount Lettenhove, if you please."

“Of course, my lord. And, if I may be so bold: wise words, wise words indeed,” the bard preened, too caught up in his speech to notice Geralt’s elbow landing in Jaskier’s ribcage or the wheeze that escaped him at that. "Might I humbly request a piece of advice of you? It would honour me greatly, no matter—”

"You may," he interrupted him and shot a glance at Geralt. "Stop singing other people's songs."

"But-"

"Don't interrupt him," Geralt growled.

“Thank you, my witcher,” Jaskier said and twirled his goblet in his hand. “See, young man, here’s the issue: you may be a bard, might even call yourself a strolling minstrel, and yet you are living off another’s hard work. I do not begrudge you for it; repeating songs you have heard certainly is a way to make your living. Mind you, however, that a poet, a troubadour, a veritable minstrel is, first and foremost, an artist.”

“But—” the bardling laughed nervously. “But I do not paint pictures.”

“Evidently,” Geralt grumbled just as Jaskier asked: “Don’t you?” He sighed and took a sip. “I certainly did. My experiences were my canvas, my emotions my paints, my aching heart my brush. Which is why I cannot sing the songs of another. How can you aspire to give a true performance, pour your heart and soul into it, if you don't even know what you're singing? You're still young, so go out into the world while you still have the chance. See if you don't find something that's worth singing about."

"How will I know that I have found such a thing?"

"Oh,” he stared into his goblet, “you will."

"But what is it? Will my heart stop when I spot it? Will—Will I lay my life on the line for it? Is it something worth dying for?"

"No," Jaskier said softly, "your life will stop, that much is true; but it isn't something that ends so much as something that begins. You will know when you have found something worth singing about, when you find something worth living for."

Next to him, his witcher choked on his wine.

#my writing #of witchers bards and broken hearts #OWBABH #geraskier #geralt of rivia #jaskier #julian alfred pankratz #geraskier fanfiction #the witcher fanfiction #geraltxjaskier #geralt/jaskier #cirilla of cintra

[thecandywrites]

Blood For Gold Chapter 20

Ah, now the truth shall be revealed! Time to show our cards and see where they will lay. So I actually wrote this chapter and the chapter to follow BEFORE I wrote the Kamoba battle chapter because I was overwhelmed trying to pack all of that information and detail into a chapter that read that way and not like the notes of a deranged lunatic from the inside of a padded cell. And writing this chapter and the one to follow flowed so nicely and it helped me keep the focus on the characters and their story lines and their arcs within a battle sequence and not get lost in the battle itself. Which was a struggle for me. Not going to lie. 

@punkhorse96​ and everyone else- enjoy.  

Blood For Gold 

Chapter 20

The moment all of you came down to breakfast and just before Gregori could announce the news of the case being dismissed from court, a messenger from Buckingham Palace arrived with a proclamation as all of you stood respectfully to receive it. 

“It is ordered by her Majesty Queen Dowager Anastasia Raymond, that all occupants of the Palace of Windsor are hereby requested to go to Buckingham Palace for an audience with the Queen Dowager, His Royal Highness, His Majesty the King, as well as Her Royal Highness Queen Alexandria as soon as possible.” He read aloud before you all immediately disbursed and practically ran back to your rooms to dress in your best attire that you had before you came back down. 

“Countess Audravienne Morrigan, you are requested to ride in the head carriage alone.” The messenger informed you as you looked anxiously at your family and Demsey who looked particularly anxious to have you leave his sight as you were only allowed to give him one last squeeze of his hand before the attendant escorted you away and into the royal coach of a carriage as you sat there, alone before you finally found you had the opportunity to read that damn journal as you opened it up and immediately started crying when you saw it was from Demsey two days prior. 

You barely noticed everyone else get loaded up into the various carriages behind you as once everyone was loaded up, the whole caravan travelled towards the palace as your heart reached out to Demsey as you resolved in yourself that no matter what would happen at Buckingham Palace, if you did not make Demsey yours by the end of the day, you felt like you would die. Finally, after all this time and pain and hurt, you found what you were looking for, a gentle man who would love you without reserve, be faithful and loyal to you without question or waiver. Who didn’t care if you were penniless, poor and destitute or had nobility or not. All he wanted was you and you would be giving everything you had to him, no matter how much or how little that was as you read through it before pressing it to your chest and wiping happy, grateful tears from your eyes as the knowledge of his love gave you so much peace and comfort and was exactly what you needed as you regained your composure as you only had time to write a single line in it- in answer to the pages upon pages of declaration of love. 

‘I love you too.’ 

Once at the palace you were taken out of the carriage and escorted into the audience room where the Queen Dowager and the King and Queen were seated on their thrones as the Queen Dowager’s Mage was seated nearby and on the other side of her was seated a second mage, a male one this time, as you handed the journal off and requested that it be put into Duke Demsey Voyambi’s hands and no one else’s before you entered the room and approached them. 

“Your Majesties,” you greeted respectfully as you bowed low. 

“It is a pleasure to see you again so soon, again, congratulations on your victory in the Kamoba battle yesterday Countess Morrigan or do you prefer the title of Sultana Saharazat?” The Queen Dowager greeted you formally. 

“Whichever you prefer to use your Majesty.” You answered. 

“Sultana Saharazat it is. Now, it has come to my attention that your correspondence has gone missing within the Royal Mail Service?” Dowager Queen Anastasia asked from her spot on the thrown that flanked her son’s, mirroring her daughter in law’s throne on the other side of the King. 

“Yes.” You confirmed. 

“If you will come forward and approach this table, I think you will find it has all been found and is hereby given back to you.” She offered as you obeyed and came forward as you noticed stacks of mail, organized by who sent what. So many letters from your parents, from your family, from your friends, especially Leumeni, he seemed to have written the most to you before you noticed your own letters that were meant to reach them, and none of them had been opened and they all looked as if they had been written only yesterday before you noticed more than just your mail was on the table, but letters from members of your own household to the Morrigans and Richard’s mistress, Myra as you noticed even more letters from Dr. Rickets to Gregori which was the most surprising to see along with letters from Richard to various members and masters at the Royal Mail Service there as well. 

“Unfortunately, all those letters that you see on the table, they are all duplicates of the originals, since the originals were all destroyed by fire. These are just humble recreations of what was lost. We have proof and solid evidence as you can see from the letters on the table, that there are some directed from Count Richard Morrigan to the members of the Royal Mail Service. That is the proof that it was his direction that all of your mail coming in or out to you personally was to be destroyed the moment it touched the hands of the mail sorters and messengers.” She explained as you picked up the letters in question and read them yourself. 

“Mage Bellfast, who is seated over there,” She continued as she gestured over to him as you looked over and nodded respectfully at him as he did the same to you. 

“He was ordered by my son Gregori, to recreate all of them and I asked him to come to me and deliver it all to me as evidence and proof. Your own personal correspondence to and from you personally was never opened but all other correspondence was to gather evidence. And the proof of such sabotage is as you can see, very sizable. I wanted to tell you personally that because this involved my family and the Royal Mail Service and because it exposed it’s corruption, I am the one who dismissed your case in the public and even the private court systems and I hope you can, one day, forgive me. But I insist on giving you justice myself and dealing with this matter personally because a grave sin has been made against you and I insist on doing everything in my power to set it right. And I will serve as judge and jury, for surely you know that even I, was once a moura bride just like you. And such a slight will never be tolerated again and such a case of corruption can never be allowed to happen again. And may I also offer my deepest and most sincere apologies to you for such grievances and I hope that you will allow me to make amends.” She offered as tears flooded your vision, while a mixture of emotions seemed to wage war within you, part of you was relieved, at least for Jane’s sake, another part of you wanted to expose Richard and Agnes Morrigan for the monsters that they were for all of England to see. But you were not going to refuse this help by any means. 

“Of course, thank you, your Majesty.” You thanked her as you did your best to wipe the grateful tears from your eyes as you saw that Demsey had even tried to write you a letter a few days before the ball, to warn you about who might be there and who would mean you harm. 

“Now, Mage Bellfast as well as my own Mage, Mage Altissia have found your scene catcher spell and if you will forgive them, but they found your passwords, but let me assure you that I, nor any of the royal family have seen what was behind those passwords, only that they were there and only with your explicit permission will such footage be shown or it can be destroyed upon your decree, but, for now, if you would hold off from making such a decision before this entire case is heard out, I have all parties coming to assemble to so that everything can be sorted out with everyone and once the air is clear and all the sins against you have been exposed, then justice will be dealt out accordingly. Now, as far as I can tell, this involves Gregori, Yalin and their family and the entire Morrigan family as well, along with Dr. Rickets and the post men who Richard has contacted. I also have Dr. Chu and his wife, who is practically a doctor herself here along with five other physicians to serve as their own jurors along with stable masters from Dorierra to change your classification. And with your permission, I would like to call them some of them in now.” Anastasia offered. 

“Yes of course,” you agreed. 

“Call in, the physician-, Dr. Rickets and the post men, the entire Morrigan family as well as my son Gregori and his family along with Sultana Saharazat’s family in, at this time.” Queen Dowager Anastasia commanded before they came in, all at once from different doors around the room since they all had been waiting in different rooms attached to the main audience room so as not to cause a stir outside of it.

“You bitch!” Agnes screamed as the moment the side door was open and she saw you, she ran towards you before guards came and stood between her and you. 

“Countess Morrigan! You will conduct yourself with the dignity of your station or I will strip you of it, have you whipped and then drawn and quartered in the town square!” Anastasia boomed as she stood from her throne as she glared down hatefully at Agnes. 

“Sultana Saharazat is under my protection and any threat against her is a threat against the crown and comes with a death sentence and you and your family will be branded as traitors to the crown and everything you have will be awarded to her in retaliation, do I make myself clear?!” Anastasia snarled as Agnes realized the royal family was there immediately slinked back. 

“I apologize, your Majesty, I did not think you would be in here but this woman is a...” Agnes did her best to try to excuse.  

“You didn’t think that I would be in my own palace? Much less in my own audience room? Are you mad or a simpleton?” Anastasia demanded. 

“Neither, just...careless your Majesty.” Agnes tried to defer but her face was as red as beet as Richard looked angry and ashamed as his mistress, Myra stood a decent distance behind them and looked particularly annoyed as well. 

“Now guards, keep a line between the whole Morrigan family, the Sultana’s family and the Raymonds, just for good measure.” Anastasia commanded before more guards were called in as your family joined you as you reassured them that you were ok and that the Dowager Queen, was going to be acting as judge and jury in your case as your family was relieved. 

“Many many thanks to you- your Majesty for dealing with this matter personally.” Your mother and Grandmother offered as they knelt down respectfully as was their custom. 

“Do not thank me yet, we are just getting started, please, get up, also someone get everyone chairs so that they may be seated comfortably.” Anastasia commanded as she had you sit down at the table where all your letters were. 

“Now, let’s start at the beginning shall we? Ramsey, what exactly did you say to your father at Sultana Saharazat’s wedding to Count Edward Morrigan?” Anastasia demanded as Ramsey’s eyes got as wide as saucers as everyone except for Axal seemed to be surprised at the news that all of this would start with him and not the Morrigans. 

“I uh...well, you see at the time…” Ramsey fumbled over his words as he stood on his feet and fidgeted with his cuff links as Anastasia looked irritated as did the rest of his family especially his parents. 

“Ramsey, for the sake of time, please just tell this audience chamber- you said to your parents that day?” Anastasia tried to gently coach him. 

“That Sultana Saharazat was the perfect bride and that no one could match her.” Ramsey finally admitted. 

“But I don’t see…” Ramsey began before his grandmother raised her hand to silence him. 

“Now, Gregori, Ramsey is nearly forty, you have been on him to wed for the last two decades and in the last eight to ten years you have become harder and harder on him to find a bride, to get married and give your family line the legitimate heir it so desperately needs but you were stopped since Ramsey up until that point, has been a roguish rake clinging onto boyish foolishness as if it was his lifeline instead of realizing that it was his downfall and was going to be leading to his ruination, I believe the current lengths you had gone to up until that point was that if Ramsey had not found a bride that season you were going to cut him off financially completely and send him into the army to get the rakish ways beaten out of him one way or another.” Anastasia said with a hard look to her grandson who seemed to wilt under her intense gaze. 

“But since then, I have found a bride, and I am leaving behind my rakish past and she is the one true bride for me.” Ramsey offered. 

“And was it Sultana Saharazat?” Anastasia demanded. 

“Well...no,” Ramsey winced. 

“Right, so what I want to know was why you chose Sultana Saharazat on her wedding day to another as your bride?” Anastasia demanded. 

“I chose her out of panic, because since she was getting married that day, she was no longer available and it would give me more time and I figured that when Edward would eventually die, I would have had enough time to grow up by then.” Ramsey confessed shamefully. 

“So you deliberately chose a bride who was unavailable to put yourself and your parents at an impasse, thinking that they would stop hounding you and threatening you with the army if you chose one who conveniently was already married, by mere minutes.” Anastasia concluded. 

“Yes.” Ramsey confirmed as his cheeks were also beet red as he looked at you apologetically as everyone in your family as well as his own actually groaned, along with the Queen Dowager, the King and the Queen herself as the King looked ready to strangle his nephew with his own hands. 

“So you had no real feeling or attachment to Sultana Audravienne Saharazat, she was just a moura bride in a white dress at the end of the season and it was either chose an impossible option or lose everything?” Anastasia pressed further. 

“Yes.” Ramsey nodded guiltily. 

“And do you realize because you panicked and did that, that you are the reason Sultana Saharazat’s life was destroyed?!” Anastasia seethed as Ramsey’s eyes flooded with tears as he looked particularly mortified. 

“Please! No! I had no idea!” Ramsey wailed as he shook his head no. 

“How could Ramsey have known that the Morrigans would try to poison her with mourkatili! No one could have predicted that they would be so cruel and abuse her, thinking that because Edward Senior would have her that no one else could?!” Yalin insisted, coming to her son’s defense. 

“No, nor could you foresee that your own husband, my own son, which after today, that may be up for debate and put into question, but that is a battle for another time. In an effort to give your son the impossible would go so far as to poison his own countrymen to death.” Anastasia revealed in a snarling growl as everyone gasped as all eyes turned towards Gregori who was unusually silent as he kept his gaze on his mother defiantly. 

“Dr. Rickets, I believe it is your turn to tell the truth, the whole truth or you will be sent to the tower, drawn and quartered, your house burned after it is turned into a public toilet and your family turned out into the street.” Anastasia leveled at him as Dr. Rickets gulped. 

“The day after Edward came home from his honeymoon, he had gone to town on business and had run into Dauphin Gregori Raymond and when the Dauphin questioned Edward Senior about his new wife and he had confirmed that she was the perfect bride, he sent for me. He told me of the encounter and gave me a sum of a thousand pounds if I would poison Edward Sr. with Wolf’s Eye to be mixed in with his regular medicine, Wolf’s Eye is known for causing delirium before it causes a stroke and with his old age, going senile and dying of heart failure would not raise suspicion.” Dr. Rickets answered. 

“You took a bribe to kill my father?! To poison him?!” Richard roared as he stood up and pointed his finger at Dr. Rickets and had Richard been armed, you were sure Dr. Rickets would be run through from the rage in his voice alone.  

“Yes,” Dr. Rickets confirmed as he could not raise his eyes to Richard out of shame. 

“And when you discovered that he had been poisoned, I lied to you to protect myself and my family and put the blame on someone who would know poisons,” Dr. Rickets confessed. 

“Which in that household only left me to be suspect.” You volunteered. 

“So you asked for mourkatili but at the time the Dauphin was in Dorierra, trying to find Ramsey another wife, and the letter couldn’t reach him in time for me to find an answer and you said that if I did not supply you with mourkatili, that you would find another source so I obtained some, but I added Jade’s Crown to it, to help neutralize it’s lethality until the Dauphin could be reached.” Dr. Rickets tried to excuse as the whole royal family practically groaned and rolled their eyes in annoyance. 

“Except that Jade’s Crown when mixed with mourkatili while it does lesson it’s lethality when first ingested, it does not neutralize it, instead it makes it lethally addictive so that the moura who drinks it is instantly addicted and will drink themselves to death trying to drink more and more of it which in turn can lead to madness in a moura with 77% of the cases studied to date it leads to the moura being completely deranged beyond repair, if you really wanted to neutralize it, you would have added Dragon Heart Flower which turns mourkatili from sweet to putrid, salty and bitter so that even the smell of it makes everyone want to vomit, if you were so intent on offering up Sultana Saharazat to the Raymonds, why didn’t you do that or go to the police at the very least to report that Sultana Saharazat was about to be poisoned?” Mage Altissia snapped angrily at Dr. Rickets. 

“Because I was afraid, that if Dauphin Ramsey had found his bride once he visited the stables, that I would be found out, and I couldn’t risk the Morrigans knowing I tampered with the mourkatili, they knew what it smelled like and what it was supposed to look like, I could not use Dragon Heart Flower, because they would know that I knew too much about poisons instead of medicine and they would be suspicious of me and I would lose my medical license and my living as a doctor.” Dr. Rickets blubbered as he did his best not to cry and failed miserably. 

“Do you think after this moment anyone is going to trust you with their health? If I went to the papers and even hinted to the editor to tell the gossip columns about this, you would be run out of England and all of Europa based on rumor alone.” Yalin seethed. 

“And it’s not like Count and Countess Morrigan didn’t know that Audra was innocent. Jane informed me that when it was Audra who discovered that his medicine had been tampered with and tried to talk to you all about it, that she was dismissed and then accused of the very thing she was trying to bring to light and you repaid her by poisoning her in turn and how Jane, through her own snooping found the Wolf’s Eye and the Jade’s Crown in his own medical bag but yet you still did not believe her.” Charlotte offered with a pointed look to Agnes and Richard as Jane stayed by Rian’s side with your family because she didn’t want to be with the rest of her family for fear they would hurt her. 

“And the fact that your daughter even now, shrinks back from you proves your own guilt of abuse.” Anastasia pointed out as she noticed Jane’s reaction to all of this. 

“And the fact that you then accused her of being brainwashed by Audra and then disciplined her for just using her own mind and powers of deduction because Jane had investigated Audra herself and found that Audra brought no such things with her, says a lot more too.” Charlotte smirked smugly at the Morrigans as well as her grandmother. 

“So, what happened after that Dr. Rickets?” Anastasia asked. 

“The Dauphin sent a transmission via messengerari, and when I found out that Ramsey did not find another bride, I told him about what the Morrigans had done and what I had done to try to diminish it and then he told me to up the dose to Count Edward Senior and that he wanted to see Edward Morrigan’s obituary in the paper when he got back so that Ramsey would only have to wait another year before he could marry Countess Audravienne Morrigan. But I did not expect Edward’s body to be so strong. And I did not think he would hold on so long, nor abuse Countess Audravienne Morrigan to the extent that he did and I did not think that the Morrigans would be so determined to bury her with Edward.” Dr. Rickets confessed. 

“So, your own doctor was bribed to poison your father and yet you blame the innocents in the situation and break the contract by trying to murder the very one who knew something was amiss. Why didn’t you go to the police? Why didn’t you have her arrested and investigated, why go through all the trouble of poisoning her and trying to kill her?” Anastasia asked RIchard and Agnes. 

“We didn’t want to ruin our good name and reputation. Mouras are known to die of broken hearts, we thought it would be less suspicious if she died with him and we could pass the blame onto that.” Richard confessed. 

“And bury your own guilt with her, brilliant.” Anastasia sarcastically praised as she glared down at them. 

“But that wasn’t all your Majesty, the Morrigans have more sins that should be known.” Charlotte insisted. 

“Well, no one in this court room can trust either of you to ever tell us the truth, I would like ask the only trustworthy Morrigan left. Jane. Before you speak, know that when and if you decide to do so. You have my word to be protected from those monsters over there that you are unfortunately related to. And if you are worried about your own name and reputation being called into question, know that I personally will guarantee your safety and integrity of your own reputation and if I have to invite you to stay at Buckingham Palace as my honored guest and ward, then I’m ready and willing to make that offer.” Queen Alexandria finally spoke up. 

“And I second that.” Anastasia insisted. 

“The first time my parents had the mourkatili served to Audra, it was in a tea, disguised as hibiscus tea with sugar and honey to hide the mourkatili. Audra took one sip and immediately knew she had been poisoned and called out for help but they bound her and gagged her and forced it down her throat. She spent the better part of a week being drunk off of it and then almost another week being hungover and refused any drink other than water and nothing even remotely purple in her food. The second time my parents tried to poison her, they had my oldest half brother Dale, who is my father’s mistress, Miss Myra’s son she has born to my father out of wedlock, who was only 20, come and serve it to her and my mother insisted to prove that it was not poisonous, insisted that he taste test it first and Audra could tell from the smell that it was mourkatili and tried to stop him but he obeyed my mother and the moment it touched his lips, he fell down dead. My mother tried to pin the blame for his death on Audra, saying it was her insistance that all of her food and drink be tested first to Myra who came to Audra and demanded to know what Dale had ever done to her for her to poison him. And when Audra tried to tell her the truth, she didn’t believe her. Then my father returned home from business and when he heard about it and saw Dale’s dead body being carted off, he had Audra bound and gagged and then he whipped her himself, even though I was just in the other room and saw and heard it all, And I had a messengerari in the room and captured the moment and it wasn’t until I made Myra and my father both watch it when they learned the truth. Myra apologized to Audra, by my father never did. Instead he then did the same abuse he did to Audra, he did to my mother only twice as worse. My mother couldn’t leave her room for two months after and could barely walk without the help of a cane because he had beaten her so badly, he nearly killed her.” Jane confessed as Ramsey was actually sobbing, feeling so much guilt and remorse as Axal wanted nothing more than to comfort him but the line of guards kept him from doing so as you watched as your own family stopped looking at Jane like the enemy, instead, looked at her with kindness and sympathy instead. 

“So then, a month later, my mother tried to have my youngest half brother- George, who was only six, to come and serve Audra that mourkatili tea and tried to do it again only that time Audra, in an effort to protect little George, drank all of it down as quickly as she could so that he would not be harmed at all.” Jane revealed with a broken sob. 

“Jane, show them.” You pleaded with her before she nodded and together you went up to the large mirror on the wall that was itself, a grand messengerari  and put in your code to bring in the feed from your scene catchers for it to play out on the it before you put in your first password into the messengerari and then Jane put in the second as everyone watched as it all played out as you and Jane held each other and cried as you watched it all as you noticed that someone had gone through this and strung all the “best parts”, or “worst parts” depending on your point of view-  together so that it really showcased just how horrible and vicious the Morrigan’s- besides Jane- were. 

“This is an outrage! To have our privacy invaded as such!” Agnes screeched. 

“Guards, will you bind and gag that wretch to her chair and handcuff that beast next to her...” The King, Leopold snarled angrily before they came and bound and gagged Agnes so that she was tied to the chair and couldn’t move as the rest of it played out as Richard looked fully ashamed and like he wanted the ground to open up and swallow him whole and didn’t fight when irons were put on his, neck, wrists and ankles so that he was bound just like all the postmen who had also been brought in were. 

“But your majesties, there is something missing from the record, where is the moment of Edward’s death?” Dr. Ricket’s volunteered. 

“He had either a stroke or heart attack by your diagnosis and that happened while he was in the act of raping Audra, I helped her strike it from the record to at least preserve what little bit of dignity she had left.” Jane defended evenly. 

“And that will be allowed and of course accepted.” Anastasia insisted. 

“Absolutely.” King Leopold agreed. 

“Indeed.” Queen Anastasia readily agreed as well. 

“So, since it is clear that Sultana Saharazat is the innocent party and since she has paid for every bit of gold and wealth she has with her own blood, it is unthinkable that she should have to pay any more for anything else. However, in order to protect the Crown, the Dauphin’s involvement in this case can not be made public, so, Sultana Saharazat, what can Gregori, Yalin and Ramsey offer you in recompense for their involvement? Besides their deepest apologies and regrets?” King Leopold asked you. 

“There are a few things I want from them. The first, I want Charlotte to be free to marry whoever she deems worthy, whether he be of high status or low. It is clear her parents enjoy a loving and wonderful marriage and I want her to enjoy the same with someone who she wants. The second is I want Ramsey to be free to marry Octavia Lafronze and I want her own fee to the stables for her and her companion, Katardrina to be paid as well. I want my brother Axal to marry Katardrina but stay close to Ramsey and Octavia since the four of them are very close and I do not wish to pull them apart. It is clear to me that Ramsey did not intend for any of this to happen and he made a mistake and neither he nor anyone else could foresee how desperate his father was to see him married. And the fact that he has shed so many tears of guilt and remourse, I know he does not take this lightly and I believe he has learned his lesson and will never make this mistake ever again. Gregori and Yalin have been nothing but kind and compassionate and generous with me while I have stayed with them. But now I feel that they only did so out of guilt, at least on Gregori’s part, because they knew they provided the figurative spark that ignited the forest fire that happened at Broadcove. Third, my griffin Heavencrest has mated and paired with their own griffin Charlico. I would like him to be mine so that Heavencrest and Charlico may stay together and fourth, at the ball at Havenfield, Ramsey, in friendship offered that I and the other mouras who came from Dorierra would be elevated to Dowager status, and I want those promises and guarantees to be fulfilled, So I want everyone who has come from Dorierra up until this point in my case, either male or female, to be given Dowager status and any who wish to stay in English society, I would like for them to receive titles of Nobility, they do not have to be high, but I would like them to be high enough that they all can move about in high society with ease, if they wish to.” You answered. 

“Audra, please know that at least my children and I had no idea of Gregori’s involvement and I want you to know that all kindness and consideration from them and myself, was always genuine, of course you can have Charlico, I will give you his papers the moment we get home, please is there anything else we can do?” Yalin offered and you could tell she was being genuine. 

“I will let you know when I think of something else.” You offered. 

“Thank you.” Yalin thanked you graciously. 

“Now for the Morrigans, let’s revisit your case, because it does not stop here. You actually bribed four members of the Royal Postal Service to destroy every piece of mail Sultana Saharazat sent out and every piece she would receive and you hired a mage to cast a spell on your own lightning rods so that it would disrupt the signal from every messengerari not only on at Broadcove and Mirador but it was so strong that it made all your neighbor’s messengerari’s cut in and out for the last two years. The fact that you put into question the integrity of the Royal Mail Service was the reason I dismissed your case from court. But as you can see Mage Bellfast was more than happy to duplicate every piece of mail that you ordered to be burned and Mage Altissia provided the rest. But if that wasn’t enough, you had your mistress, send her own children, your own bastards as servants in the Sultana’s household to work for you as spies as you continued to pay them their wages that you had been paying them at your home while they collected wages from Sultana Saharazat as well. Your wife is one to talk about an invasion of privacy, when you yourself have been invading hers all along.” Anastasia insisted as you began opening the letters and read them for yourself, only to find about three months into your widowhood, how all of them told their father in their own way how they would spy on you no more, because you had treated them with kindness, respect and dignity and how he could keep his money, they didn’t need it or want it. But instead, that your own wages to them were plenty generous enough for them to have comforts enough to suit “the likes of them”. 

“Except she turned my own children against me, they haven’t reported to me in over half a year! Practically nine months! And they keep sending back any money I try to send them, which is hurtful and deceitful in itself.  She has deceived you all and she has clearly conspired with the Raymonds!” Richard tried to accuse.

“Did your nanny drop you on your head? Are you mad to make such an accusation?” King Leopold asked Richard who shut his mouth to keep from saying anything else. 

“Nevermind answering that, I have come to my decision. Because of your shameless exploits and treachery. You will be stripped of your nobility. Since you both are guilty of murder as in the case of that wretch who goes by Agnes or attempted murder in both of your cases. Everything you have, all wealth, all connections, all property, business enterprises, investments, land ownership, everything, will be handed over to Sultana Audravienne Saharazat to do with as she pleases and she can turn your precious Broadcove into a public latrine for all I care. Both of you will be sent to the asylum for clear insanity, where both of you will not only be treated with Wolf’s Eye but Wolf’s Mane as well and both of you will rot in a prison cell going insane and because Jane has been with the Raymond’s she was not exposed to the sickness that caused both of you to go mad in attempts to bribe Dr. Rickets into giving you mourkatili to poison and kill the Sultana Audravienne Saharazat.” King Leopold decreed. 

“Except for little Edward. He is only a boy, and is completely innocent in all of this too.” You offered. 

“Very well, since Sultana Saharazat has spoken for him, he will be brought to be with Jane. 

“Actually, your majesty, if I have a suggestion, if you like it, you can use it, if not, let things happen how you have directed them to.” You intervened again. 

“Very well, what are your thoughts on this matter?” He asked. 

“I have read these letters that all of Richard’s eldest children have written to him, rejecting him because if their father loved them so much, why would he put up with Agnes mistreating them so cruelly so that with just a little bit of kindness, respect and dignity from me- they happily switched their loyalties to me. Richard’s mistress, Miss Myra Bellafont, I wish for Broadcove may go to her. For she too has spent most of her life having to put up with Agnes, and was powerless to protect her own children from her partner’s wife, to the point that her own eldest son lost his life because of Agnes’ hate towards them. They were blameless in that they did not ask to have the father they do and they did not ask to be brought into the world or had any control over their circumstances and as much as Richard and Agnes made my life a living hell, I can’t imagine what they have made her go through. If at all possible, if she could be given a title, it doesn’t have to be a high one, but I wish for her and her children to inherit Broadcove and even though Agnes has treated Myra and her children with animosity, I know Myra doesn’t hold any towards Jane or little Edward and even Edward Senior was kind and partial to them while he lived. Even now the children of hers that remain at Broadcove are little Edward’s playmates and if Myra can swear and promise me as well as their Majesties that she will care for Edward and Jane well, I trust she will care for little Edward as well as she does her own little Geroge and I do not wish for Jane or little Edward to partake in their parent’s disgrace and I want the same freedoms that I have requested for Charlotte to be Jane’s as well, so that she can accept any offer of marraige from anyone she deems worthy as well, who will love her and treat her with kindness, respect, reverence and dignity, all of which she is just as deserving as I am.” You offered hopefully. 

“Very well, Myra Bellafont, you are now awarded the title of Marquise, you have come from somewhere foreign, you are a wealthy widow and have bought up Broadcove once you learned that Count and Countess Morrigan had gone on holiday and contracted a disease that made them go mad and your own sympathy towards their innocent children have moved you to take them on as your wards and you are now their loving and caring guardian. The house is to be cleaned thoroughly and Sultana Saharazat will award you any businesses that the Morrigans have so that you may upkeep Broadcove and that income may provide for your needs and the needs of your children.” King Leopold proclaimed. 

“Yes your majesty.” Yourself and Myra happily accepted as she curtsied deeply as Anges wriggled and screamed around her gag in her spot.

“Take Mr. and Mrs. Morrigan and Dr. Rickets to the asylum at once and turn these four traitorous men over to the tower.” Dr. Leopold insisted as he gestured to them since they had come in already in chains. 

“But it was Audra who dealt Edward his death blow!” Dr. Rickets hollered as the hair on the back of your neck rose as your anger blazed as you gripped the dagger at your waist so hard your knuckles turned white as you wanted to stab him. 

“You yourself proclaimed he had died of heart failure in your autopsy report before his body was buried.” King Leopold frowned as Jane and yourself looked at each other worriedly before your own desperation to never be afraid of this secret that you had given almost everything to keep hidden. But no more. If you were going to expose everything, you would not hold back.  

“Your Majesties, I do not wish to live any kind of lie. I do not wish for anyone to ever hold anything over me or blackmail me ever again. So, I will show you the moment of Count Edward’s death and you can judge for yourselves, whether I was guilty or not of his death, but I ask all of you watch and really see all of it, do not look away, do not close your eyes and do not turn a blind eye to it.” You insisted as you held Jane’s hand and gave it a comforting squeeze as you gave her a reassuring smile as you both put in the third and final password that showed the truth as all of the Royal Family as well as yours watched in horror as Edward tried to rape you then once his flesh touched yours, he turned into a statue of platinum and fell to the bed and broke it, the crash echoing through the audience room as gasps were given by everyone except by Myra, Jane and yourself as it showed you in a panic, touching Edward and turning him to flesh again and then calling for Jane for help as you told her what had happened and how confused you were about it and wanted to know what to do as both of you called in Dr. Rickets to make a diagnosis and then to Myra and the servants to keep quiet about the crash as Myra herself brokered for you to take her own children with you when you would leave Broadcove as a widow and pleaded with you to be good to them. 

“Audra, I would like to apologize, had I known that that was the reason for the crash I heard, that  I never would have made that deal with you and I’m so sorry if my own children following you to Mirador caused you any distress, I never asked them to spy on you.” Myra offered as she wiped her tears from her eyes. 

“I know, but Richard did.” You answered. 

“So you did kill him!” Richard practically crooned, feeling vindicated and validated.

“Oh enough! Guard, gag him as well so that nothing else of a poisonous nature leaves his mouth, only enters it.” King Leopold ordered before Richard too was gagged with a handkerchief. 

“No, she is innocent of murder because she didn’t purposefully do so because if she did know she had had that ability prior to that instant, don’t you think you yourself would have turned to platinum the moment you landed your first slap? It was self defense, surely you know enough of moura history and heard the tales that any one who dare force a moura to bed, would be turned into a pillar of gold by morning?” Anastasia defended you evenly. 

“That was our protection for millenia. Audra did not intend for Edward Senior to die and had Edward Senior had his wits, he never would have done so to begin with. And now that you are officially branded as insane, you can scream such things at the top of your lungs and no one will believe you.” The Queen Consort- Alexandria replied to the Morrigans.  

“I judge you innocent in all things, do not let this moment define you and do not let this moment stop you from living your life to the fullest.” Alexandria urged you warmly and comfortingly. 

“I too judge you completely innocent. And hereby decree, that because you suffered at the hands of Richard Morrigan, Edward Morrigan Senior and by extension, Dauphin Gregori Raymond, all previous rulings will stand, and this doesn’t change anything except for one thing. I hereby promote you and all mouras who choose to stay in England- the noble rank and title of Marquess as well and award you personally, a living of twenty five thousand pounds a year from the crown for the rest of your life, whether you choose to remarry or not. And all others who wish to stay in the country, a living of ten thousand pounds a year.” He decreed. 

“Thank you, Your Majesties, might we invite all the other Mouras in to tell them the news directly?” You requested before King Leopold nodded and ordered for Calla and her brothers as well as Benny and her brothers to come in along with Octavia and Katardrian as the messengerari was cleared to just show a mirror’s reflection yet again. 

“So, the reason I have brought you all here today was to discuss Sultana Audravienne’s Saharazat’s case in the courts. Because of certain components of the case and sensitive nature of it, I myself put a stop to it going into the court system to keep reproach from coming to the crown. And with such concessions to protect the privacy of all involved, the Sultana has been reimbursed accordingly and hopefully to her satisfaction.” Dowager Queen Anastasia began. 

“Yes, it has been settled to my satisfaction, thank you Your Majesty.” You happily replied as you and Jane smiled happily and with relief to each other as you sat side by side and still held onto each other because now, you both were safe, and more importantly, free. 

“So part of the concessions and reimbursement that the Sultana asked for was that all of you from Dorierra, male and female alike, are now all considered Dowagers and are invited to stay in England as Maquess and a living will be awarded each of you for ten thousand pounds a year.” The King ordered as they all smiled brightly and happily. 

“Thank you, your Majesty.” They all happily and excitedly thanked him. 

“Now, call in the stable masters from Dorierra so that their masters may be updated to Dowager status.” King Leopold instructed before the stable masters came and took two at a time, starting with the adults just as Agnes and Richard were being led out along with Dr. Rickets as he too was gagged and bound. 

“Marquess Saharazat.” Mage Bellfast approached you as you sat down at the desk and continued to go through all the letters there. 

“Yes?” You asked. 

“Again, I am Mage Bellfast, I was hired by the Dauphin to recreate your mail that was burned.” He reintroduced himself. 

“Oh, yes, thank you so much. I can’t tell you how happy I am to have it all back.” You smiled happily as he offered his hand as you graciously gave it to him for him to kiss your knuckles in a very gentlemanly like manner. 

“But I was hoping to get just the smallest of tokens from you in thanks.” Belfast began. 

“Of course, what would you like?” You asked. 

“For you to turn this bar of moura gold into platinum for me.” Belfast said as he produced the bar and put it onto the table in front of you as Mage Altissia practically ran towards you. 

“Do not do that!” Mage Altissia demanded. 

“Why not?” Belfast asked. 

“Do you think she would give me moura platinum and not you? Surely you have something made from moura gold that she can turn for you.” Belfast replied calmly as you picked up the bar but nothing happened. 

“No, because she only got the power once the mourkatili was in her system and since the Dragon Grevu healed her, thus her indigo violet hair, she has lost such capabilities.” Altissia offered as you blew out a breath of relief as you squeezed the bar with all your might but nothing was happening. 

“Well that won’t do, will it.” Belfast before in a flash he hit you with a spell that knocked you backwards off your chair and your feet flying over your head and onto the floor which caused everyone to stop and stare and rush over to you. 

“What did you do to me?!” You yelled as everyone watched as the indigo violet drained from your hair back into your scalp just as you found your feet, drew your dagger and aimed it at Bellfast’s throat before he used magic to stop your fist.

“Temper, temper.” Belfast tsked and smiled wolfishly as the golden dagger turned platinum white in your grips as indigo violet blood dripped from your nose as your eyes changed color from gold- to a glowing indigo violet as well as once again the mourkatili entered your body as you felt weak and fell to the floor coughing and sputtering, your blood splattering and staining the wood you stood on as your blade clattering to the floor with you. 

“Mage Bellfast, what is the meaning of this?!” Queen Dowager Anastasia demanded as she and the Queen and the King came over to see for themselves. 

“Well you saw it for yourself, she is a platinum moura now and I wanted my payment for all that mail and correspondence I had to conjure up.” Belfast explained. 

“And since your Majesties have ordered for her and every other moura who came to England to have nobility and a very generous yearly income, wouldn’t it be fair for her to help mitigate that cost by turning any number of moura gold bricks you have in the place to platinum for you?” Belfast offered as King Leopold hesitated for a beat. 

“Guards, have ten moura gold bricks be brought in.” King Leopold ordered as Alexandria and Anastasia both gasped in outrage. 

“Leo that is uncalled for, hasn’t the poor girl suffered and given enough?!” Anastasia demanded. 

“You said yourself that she shouldn’t have to pay anything to anyone ever again, this is going back on your word!” Alexandria insisted as she stared in horror at her husband. 

“I’m just asking her to change ten small bricks of gold into platinum, then I’m sure Bellfast can cure her again and all will be well.” Leopold insisted. 

“Now, if you’ll please.” Belfast insisted as he handed you the small gold bar as you touched it and watched with regret as it turned from gold to platinum before you hatefully gave it back to him before you turned and walked over to where your grandmother’s dagger had clattered away as you picked it up but when you touched it again, it turned back to gold, before turning to black ash in your hands and disintegrated in your hands as all the jewels fell through your fingers and fell to the ground as everyone else screamed to see your hands now stained black just as Bellfast took the platinum bar in his gloved hands and made the fatal mistake of kissing it, the moment the bar touched his lips, his whole face began to be eaten away and turned into black ash which caused everyone to give Bellfast room as they watched helplessly as Bellfast completely disintergrated into a pile of black ash and clothes, the platinum bar now landing in a heap. 

“The plague! You have unleashed the golden plague again!” The Dowager Queen screamed in horror at Leopold as she struck at him. 

“Your Majesties, I can explain this phenomenon. Because Audravienne unlocked her platinum abilities once the mourkatili was in her body, that means that only when she has mourkatili still in her system can she turn moura gold into platinum, but that also means that all platinum she turns has the same properties as mourkatili. So, I would not advise for her to turn anything else into platinum, and for her to return to where Grevu is and become healed again, then all will be well, besides, the “cure” that Mage Bellfast gave to Gregori was not infact a cure, but it would make everything Audra touch turn into deadly platinum and she would surely die of starvation.” Mage Alitssia insisted before you went over and picked up the platinum brick and watched as it turned from platinum white- to gold but then black ash almost instantaniously once again. 

“Guards, disregard that order about the gold bricks. As soon as they have all been classified as dowagers, they are free to go. My apologies Marquees Saharazat.” King Leopold offered as he looked both fearful yet apologetic before he ordered for that mess to be cleaned up immediately before the Voyambi’s finally came into the audience room to see the King, the Queen and the Queen Mother leave quickly through one door as the Morrigans had already been carted off in chains which was a relief to see before they came in to see you standing there with blackened hands but with golden hair again with a pile of black ash at your feet and on your dress. 

“What happened?” Demsey asked as he approached you before the masters returned with your parents and your grandmothers and your hier father and his wife and his mother in tow as they all had their masters rolled up in their hands with big bright smiles as the smiles immediately fell when they saw the scene. 

“Addie? What happened?” Your mother asked. 

“I unleashed the gold plague.” You whispered before you were called back by the masters of the stables to be reexamined by them and the group of doctors with them as you explained to them what had just happened in the audience room with Mage Altissia’s help.  

“Unfortuantely Sultana Saharazat, because of the mourkatili and because of your affect on moura gold, we can not give you the status of Dowager, the best we can offer you is Tavnit and until you are healed, you can not set foot back into Dorierra.” Master Ophelia offered apologetically as you closed your eyes and let your tears of disappointment fall. 

“That’s fine, I accept.” You nodded as it was put into your master and stamped in as your hands were washed clean from the ashes as you walked away and went over to Dr. Chu and his wife to get reexamined by them as Dr. Chu took your blood pressure and his eyes went wide. 

“Mei, take her blood pressure and pulse.” Wen insisted in Mandarin to his wife before she did as he asked as her eyes went wide. 

“What is it?” You asked them softly in Mandarin to keep your conversation private in the corner. 

“My Lady, you have the happy heartbeat.” Mei informed you with big wide eyes and a serious face. 

“I what?” You asked. 

“You are pregnant, about three and a half weeks to a month along.” Dr. Chu diagnosed as Mei nodded in agreement to that diagnosis as you searched your thoughts back before you remembered- that last night with Demsey Draft, at the Masquerade ball, you were so heartbroken, that you forgot to order the pregnancy warding tea. You did not drink it that last time and apparently that was all it took. 

“Can I get rid of it? Surely it’s too early…” You tried to ask. 

“No, this is why Grevu healed you. I can tell by your chi, aura and energy readings. His magic is protecting this babe from all harm, even now, the mourkatili is not harming it at all, it’s being shielded and protected.” Mei explained as she waived her hands over your abdomen to feel the variations in energy as tears flooded your vision. To be so close to finally being with Duke Demsey Voyambi and Demsey Draft planted an obstacle right into your belly and you loved Demsey too much to try to pass this on as his, even if you married him today, the baby would come a month too soon. And while Mr. Draft and Duke Voyambi shared a lot of the same features, surely you couldn’t live with yourself if you passed this baby off as his. You needed to get out of here. And fast. 

“Say nothing, to anyone.” You pleaded with them. 

“Of course.” They readily agreed. 

“Thank you.” You thanked them as you hugged them tight before you bowed in respect to both of them to honor them. 

“I have to go.” You excused yourself as you left the room and the moment you saw Demsey, as much as you wanted to run into his arms, you couldn’t and it felt worse than a thousand stabs to the heart as you came out into the audience room with your master rolled up in your hands as you went over to your family and revealed what had happened with the stable masters as they too started crying. 

“Leumeni? Why are there so many letters between you and Audra?” Kiera asked as she picked a small stack of them up and looked them over. 

“We are just close friends, that is all.” You tried to excuse as you grabbed the letters out of her hand as you readily got a bag and hurriedly dumped all of your mail into it to keep anyone else from looking through it.  

“Yup, just close friends,” Leumeni did his best to deflect just as you heard Benny scream out a ‘What?!’ in horror and outrage. 

“What the hell?” You asked as Benny came storming out of that room. 

“Leumeni! Coravien! Come we need to go home! Now!” Benny demanded angrily in Marinai as she stormed out of the examination room before you went over to Dr. Chu and his wife. 

“What was that?” You asked them in Mandarin.

“She has the happy heartbeat too. Grevu’s snot made the seed from the sex she had the night before the Kamoba take root. His magic is protecting her babe just like yours, but until he lifts his magic, she has no choice but to bear the babe. Even now she is going to plead with him to lift it so she can kill it.” Mei answered as you gasped and covered your mouth with both hands as Sierge came over to you. 

“What is wrong with Benny? What are they saying?” Sierge asked you. 

“Uh, Sierge, you need to go back to the Palace of Windsor and stay with Benny and do not let Benny approach Grevu until she tells you exactly why she wants anything to do with him.” You advised him with a gesture to your belly as if you were stroking a very pregnant belly as Sierge’s eyes went wide when you made that gesture before he fled Buckingham Palace to chase after Benny.

#Blood For Gold #Blood For Gold Chapter 20 #regency era orc period drama #regency orcs #orcs #orc love story #orc romance #monster boyfriend